Obtaining Salvation
by Quatermass
Summary: (Based on, with permission, "Shatterglass" by sakurademonalchemist) Shirou Kotomine was surprised when an Yggdmillennia Homunculus appears out of thin air, with no memory barring his name, Harry Potter, and cruel experiments done to him. Meanwhile, the herald of Velber, Altera, knows Harry presents an opportunity for her salvation. But can anyone obtain salvation in this Grail War?
1. Foreword

**FOREWORD**

If I had to choose the one character I liked the most in _Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star_, it wouldn't be Nero or Tamamo, surprisingly, though they come close. In fact, of the three main Servants, it'd have to be Altera. This is due in no small part to her characterisation in her particular story arc, where she shows herself to be considerably more than the ruthless killing machine with glimmers of humanity that she was in the first two story arcs.

Doing a story with her was a no-brainer. Getting a story together was another matter entirely. People who've read my various compilations will know this.

After a few iterations, I decided on an interesting tack. I'd contacted sakurademonalchemist for permission to use one of her abortive story concepts, _Shatterglass_, as a starting point. This story had Harry captured and experimented upon by Yggdmillennia in the Fate/Apocrypha timeline, only to somehow end up trapped inside the body of a female Homunculus, and inadvertently summoning EMIYA. I'd always decided to change the concept to where Harry ended up in Sieg's body (Sieg is admittedly one of the more cardboard protagonists of the _Fate_ series), and had wanted to team him up with Jalter, aka Jeanne d'Arc's Avenger form. However, sakurademonalchemist didn't respond, and I eventually used Jalter for a _Fate/Zero_ crossover, _Ephemeral Flames of Vengeance and Desire_.

Eventually, after some prodding, sakurademonalchemist did give me permission. But by then, it was too late to do a Jalter fic, as fun as it would have been to play Jalter against her purer counterpart. I decided on Altera, and this was something I really wanted to do, as there is something to Altera that will make a rather shocking swerve to the story, insomuch as it will change the fate of one of the key characters of _Fate/Apocrypha_ profoundly.

Anyway, time for the usual disclaimers. Firstly, there will be spoilers for both Harry Potter and _Fate/Apocrypha_.

Secondly, there will be heavy annotations, as is usual for my works. You have been warned.

Thirdly, this is an M-Rated work. There will be coarse language, violence, and sexual references. Again, you have been warned.

Finally, the following is a fan-written work. Harry Potter and _Fate/Apocrypha_ are the properties of their respective owners. Please support the official release. Otherwise, Altera will declare you Bad Civilisation, and deal with you accordingly…


	2. Chapter 1: Arrival

**CHAPTER 1:**

**ARRIVAL**

There is a legend known to those who study the arcane lore of prehistory. The legend of the Umbral Star, Velber, and its herald. The White Titan. It's a legend surprisingly supported by science, if only because there was evidence for the mass extinctions that occurred about 14 millennia ago, albeit one of many such mass extinctions happening during the end of the Pleistocene Era. This extinction was chalked down by the scientific community (albeit not without reason: they were right about the reasons for other extinctions in the geological ballpark) to climate change caused by the end of the Ice Age, as well as other factors.

In truth, like more than a few harbingers of extinction, the cause came from space. But not in the form of a meteorite that struck with apocalyptic force. Rather, something landed, and then began spreading death and destruction in its wake.

When people speak of the fall of Atlantis, they usually think it was due to the hubris of its natives. However, Atlantis was but one of the ancient civilisations that was decimated by the White Titan. Mu, Hyperborea, Lemuria, all fell to the White Titan's rampage…though in truth, the White Titan was an entity bound to do its job. In truth, even as its body destroyed, its mind was asking of itself, _Why? Why? Why?_

Of course, this meant little to its victims. All they saw was a monster whose very presence corrupted man and beast alike into monsters. With a grand weapon, they struck down the White Titan. Parts of its body, struck by the blast of the weapon fired at it, flew into the distance. One landed in a part of the Middle East that, one day, would be explored by the Huns. About twelve and a half thousand years later, said Huns would stumble across it…and find a baby girl, whom their elders would name Attila. A name she would come to detest, but that's getting ahead of ourselves.

The gathered people who had managed to fell the Titan knew that killing it might not be possible in the limited time they had, so, using arcane magic that was soon forgotten to the world, they imprisoned it, deep within the mountains that would one day become the Alps. There, it was hoped it would never threaten the world again.

But hopes like that often were in vain...

* * *

In a space that didn't truly exist in any physical sense, a pair of women sat at a table. They were a study in contrasts, even though both had silvery white hair and crimson eyes, as well as a vague sense of emptiness to them. One was a pale-skinned woman, her hair long, dressed in an elaborate, ceremonial dress and mitre-like hat. The other was a dark-skinned woman, her outfit vaguely tribal and amounting to seemingly little more than a G-string and a breast band across her modest bust. Unlike the more conventionally beautiful pale-skinned woman, the darker-skinned woman's slender form had the air of an athletic beauty, with her skin marked with strange pale lines. A veil, almost like a wedding veil, was draped from her head.

The pale-skinned woman could be called many things. Once, she was Justeaze von Einzbern, the head of the von Einzbern family of Magi. Now, she was the guiding consciousness deep within the Greater Grail she sacrificed herself to create, though to be fair, it wasn't the original Justeaze. In truth, she was probably little more than the magical equivalent of an artificial intelligence, clinging onto sentience only barely.

The darker-skinned woman could also be called many things. In her first existence on Earth, she had been dubbed Sephyr, the White Titan of Velber. In her second existence, a life as a human being, she became known and feared as the Scourge of God, Attila the Hun, though Attila was actually a name she despised. She preferred to be known as Altera.

The two had an odd friendship, or at least a relationship, being artificial beings now imprisoned. Confined as they were to their respective prisons, they got bored. That they contacted each other was happenstance more than anything else, as the Greater Grail recharged. A few years ago, they met in abstract memetic space, the outer regions of Akasha, the Root of All Things, and began an odd friendship.

"So, I have a chance?" Altera asked.

"Yes. I am only dimly aware of what is going on outside my shell. But I have a Master who should be good for you, and you would be good for him. I have managed to keep his mind from fragmenting due to what he has gone through, though his memories are lacking. However, due to circumstances, I cannot guarantee that you will prevail. But…"

"If I do, I promise, my wish will be to remove Velber's influence on me. If Velber desires otherwise, I will fight it with every fibre of my being."

"Good. I have faith in your conviction, Altera, though there is still the possibility that Velber may overcome you. And I sense something wrong. But I have faith in your Master-to-be. He is a hero. And heroes save people, even from themselves…"

* * *

Salvation was never far from the mind of the deceptively young-looking man standing near a church, looking up at the starry sky. To the world at large, he was known as Shirou Kotomine. To himself, and a select few others, he was actually Shirou Amakusa Tokisada. Many outside of Japan would merely shrug at such a name, not knowing its true import, but someone with knowledge of the history of that island nation and specifically the history of Christianity there would do a mental double take. After all, it was the name of one of Japan's most famous folk saints and martyrs. And this was not merely someone named for Shirou, but rather, the real deal, resurrected through a miracle, not of divine origin, but something that, while it approached the divine, had been created by the mundane. Well, as mundane as you can get when it was a wish-granting magical engine created by Magi.

He didn't like thinking about his past, about how his first life led to him leading a rebellion against the Shogunate, only for it to be mercilessly crushed, and he died at the age of seventeen. To wallow in the past was to potentially lose sight of the present and the future both. Even thinking about the Third Holy Grail War in Fuyuki was dangerous, as it tempted him with whispers of revenge as much as the memories of the Shimabara Rebellion did. And he had tried to divest himself of such feelings like anger, hatred, and the desire for retribution, if he truly wished to succeed in his task. Of course, the temptation was always there, to go and kill the man responsible for killing his Master.

He sighed quietly to himself. Tonight, Clock Tower, the colloquial name given to the Magus Association, was sending a group of fifty Enforcers, a 'Disciplinary Squad'. Their purpose: to try and kill that very man who killed his Master, Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia, hoping to assassinate him before the Grail War Darnic intended to start in order to cement his secession from Clock Tower. Shirou had arrived in Romania shortly before they did, along with his Servant, and he knew that it would be too late. Darnic would not have made his declaration if he didn't have some means to back it up already, which meant summoning a Servant. After all, a human could not fight a Servant.

He would have warned them, but he doubted they would listen. Magi tended to be stubborn and opinionated at the best of times, when they weren't being amoral or immoral in their pursuit of Akasha. Instead, a week ago in the Middle East, he had summoned his own Servant, Assassin. True name: Semiramis, the Empress of Assyria and considered to be the world's first known poisoner.

As if summoned by his thinking of her, Semiramis Deastralised near him. Her long dark hair framed cruelly beautiful features with pointed ears and golden eyes with slitted pupils. "Master, I have much to report, thanks to my familiars," she said, her musical voice lilting sardonically on the word Master. In truth, he had impressed her enough on their initial summoning that they viewed each other as equals and comrades.

"I believe I can guess some of the content of that report. Clock Tower's Disciplinary Squad have been decimated, and by a Servant?"

"Indeed," Semiramis said, her lips thinning in disgust. "Only one survived, and he has been spared by Darnic specifically to act as a messenger."

"How melodramatic of him," Shirou sighed quietly.

"There is good news, though. The contingency mechanism your former Master spoke to you of was activated by the Disciplinary Squad remotely, so it seems that this upcoming Grail War will consist of two sides. Yggdmillennia will be on one side, and on the other…"

"The Magus Association. And I am well-placed to act as the Church's representative in their team. The Vatican and the Burial Agency are already aware that I have summoned you, and I should notify Clock Tower soon. Still, this could be troublesome. The Grail could attempt to summon another Ruler, and while my presence may block their summoning, there are other ways for a Ruler to manifest. Anything else?"

"We know the identity of the Servant Darnic used. A Lancer, true name Vlad Tepes."

"Vlad III of Wallachia?" Shirou remarked. "I shouldn't be surprised. Vlad III is renowned as a national hero here in Romania, instead of being considered a ruthless tyrant or a vampire, and he would be powerful on his native soil. You can counter that with your own territory?"

"Once I complete the Hanging Gardens, yes," Semiramis said. "His Noble Phantasm, the one I witnessed, allows him to create stakes from nothing. Kazikli Bey, he calls it. Impaled those Enforcers on stakes. Rather unsightly and brutal. Still, my surveillance on Yggdmillennia's stronghold suggested a disturbance there at the same time. I haven't paid more attention to it, as I thought I'd report to you, but…"

What she was about to say was cut off by a rather loud crack, like a whipcrack or the backfiring of a car. Out of the very air in front of them sprawled an extraordinary figure, mostly naked, their modesty preserved only by rather utilitarian underwear. He (Shirou realised belatedly that it was male) peered blearily at them, before rasping out, in English, "…Help…" before collapsing to the ground, unconscious.

Shirou, after a moment, was on the young man, checking him over. Semiramis, who had been about to attack the interloper, relaxed a little, and joined him. Despite being an Assassin, she had many strong elements of being a Caster as well, and her magecraft abilities were far superior to those she had as an Assassin. "…He's a Homunculus," Semiramis said. "Didn't you say that one of Yggdmillennia is known for making Homunculi?"

"Gordes Musik Yggdmillennia," Shirou said, gently turning the Homunculus over. He gently opened the eyes. The first was the distinctive pinkish red of the Musik family's Homunculi, but the other, oddly enough, was an emerald colour. The hair was a light brown. And the features were vaguely familiar to him.

"That's strange," Semiramis mused as she continued scanning the Homunculus. "His body has recently undergone rapid growth. And not just the growth Homunculi are given when they're gestated. He has gone from perhaps early adolescence to late adolescence within the space of a few weeks. What's more, his lifespan seems closer to that of a normal human's than most Homunculi. And his magic…it's…strange."

"Strange how?"

"…It's a hybrid of Magus and…something else, something I don't believe has been around since the Age of Heroes. There's both active magic circuits and a core," Semiramis said, looking as if she didn't want to believe it.

Shirou frowned. An interesting enigma. And while this Homunculus was formerly one of Yggdmillennia's, he was sure, the plea in his eyes before he collapsed was genuine, he was sure. "I'll bring him inside," he decided. "If there's any urgent treatment he needs, please prepare it."

"Are you certain?" Semiramis asked.

"Yes. For all we know, Assassin, an interesting little opportunity has dropped into our laps…"

* * *

"Well, I cannot find any magical compulsions or any sign of a geas," Semiramis said as the Homunculus lay in a bed in a room in the church. "If there's any indoctrination, it's purely psychological or biological."

"I don't think that there is. I think what we are looking at is an escapee of some kind."

"An escapee? There was a disturbance within the castle at about the same time as Darnic's Servant decimated the Enforcers," Semiramis mused. "Maybe this one escaping did so. In addition, this one shows signs of having his magical energy being siphoned until some hours ago. Not used, but siphoned. There are traces of a form of medical grade breathable liquid that is highly conductive to mana in his body, particularly his lungs and digestive tract. I believe this Homunculus may have been used as a mana battery of some sort. My guess is to power a Servant or Servants."

"Very clever," Shirou admitted reluctantly. "If I recall correctly, Waver Velvet's predecessor in the position of Lord El-Melloi did something similar in the Auxiliary Grail War they participated in. Kayneth Archibald tinkered with the summoning so that he had the Command Seals, and his fiancée supplied the mana."

Semiramis raised an eyebrow. "An intriguing concept. I can see why. By having someone else foot the bill, so to speak, the Masters can use their magecraft and Mystic Codes with impunity, as can Servants with their Noble Phantasms. Darnic clearly is a man who puts considerable thought into these things. They must have many more Homunculi like this to make the best use of such a system. I doubt they'd even use just a single Homunculus per Servant. If he is as prudent as he appears to be, this Homunculus is doubtlessly just one of at least a couple of dozen. That's how I would set things up at the bare minimum."

Shirou nodded, taking in her words. Despite her goodwill to him, Semiramis also had a scarily practical and pragmatic mind. It came part and parcel with being a ruthless ruler. But before he could make any further remark, she said, "Master, he's waking up."

And so he was, his face contorted in pain, before he woke, his mismatched eyes flickering open. He looked at them warily, and tried to speak, only for a hoarse croak to emit from his lips, swiftly degenerating into a coughing fit. "Easy, it's all right," Shirou said soothingly. "You're amongst friends, I hope."

Eventually, the Homunculus asked, in a hoarse croak of a voice, "Where am I?"

"In the church I have been assigned to. If you came from the Yggdmillennia stronghold, rest assured, you are out of their reach, for now," Shirou said soothingly. "We are not allies to Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia."

"…How did you know I…"

"You are a Homunculus, with the distinctive signs of one created by the Musik family, and their decaying bloodline has been folded into Yggdmillennia."

And then, the Homunculus surprised him.

Lying back wearily, closing his eyes, he said, his increasingly less hoarse voice betraying a British accent, "I'm not a Homunculus. Or rather…I wasn't born one. I can't remember much, most of my memory's gone. But I remember this much: that silver-haired bitch and that fat bastard experimented on me. I woke up one day in this body, while my old one…it's floating like a pickle in a jar, only, I don't think it's in any fit state for me to live in anymore."

Silver-haired bitch? That matched the descriptions of Celenike Icecolle Yggdmillennia, while the 'fat bastard' was probably an unflattering description of Gordes Musik Yggdmillennia. But there was something confusing about this, and it was Semiramis who voiced it. "You mean to say Yggdmillennia somehow transferred your soul from one body to another?"

"…Yeah, but I don't think they meant to do that." He sat up gingerly, and looked at them. "I managed to break out of that damned tank. I was hiding out until I overheard Darnic and Lancer saying they needed to go and deal with some Enforcers, so I thought I'd make my escape. As it turned out…I'm not as good at stealth as I thought. I did manage to get out of the castle, but Darnic and his pet Servant caught me. Darnic was about to attack me when…well, I well…I ended up here… wherever here is. So, who are you two? Are you with this Clock Tower they were going on about?"

"Not exactly," Shirou said. "I am allied with the Magus Association, true, but I am not a member of Clock Tower. Rather, I am an Executor, a member of the Vatican's Burial Agency. That means I hunt rogue Magi and Dead Apostles, or vampires if you don't know what that means normally. I am Shirou Kotomine, and this is my Servant, Assassin. I won't reveal her true name for now. What's your name?"

"…My name is Harry Potter…"

**CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:**

**Oh dear. That just happened. Harry's now got Sieg's body? But he's lost most of his memories…well, that's going to make things awkward…**

**No numbered annotations this time.**


	3. Chapter 2: Weariness and Wariness

**CHAPTER 2:**

**WEARINESS AND WARINESS**

He was so tired. So very fucking tired. He had been for a very long time. Perhaps all his life. The last thing he could remember with any clarity before he ended up in Romania was an archway. And then, when he woke, he found himself in Romania. He was questioned, calmly but firmly, by a young man with old eyes calling himself Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia.

But over time, he realised that, despite the seemingly genuine niceness of Caules and Fiore, the rest of Yggdmillennia were cold-hearted and amoral. And too soon, a few months after he arrived, the real Hell began, torture and experiments at the hands of a silver-haired bitch called Celenike. Even now, he only had vague memories of what happened before and during, perhaps mercifully.

Through her boasts, he learned about the Holy Grail War. He learned about Yggdmillennia's plans. He felt himself fading away piece by piece as Celenike's experiments continued…each day alternating between sharp pain and oblivion, a chunk of his memory cut away, until all he could remember of his old life, before Romania, was his name. Then, one day, he couldn't wake up from his dreams. And it was only a few weeks ago that he realised that his body was no longer his own, that Celenike's experiments had somehow and inadvertently transferred his soul to one of the Homunculi that was part of her experiments.

And now, here he was, having made a not-so-great escape. He was now in the presence of one of the Vatican's assassins, and a goddamned Servant, like that Lancer guy, the one who turned out to be Vlad Tepes. Only, this one was an Assassin. One that looked pretty obviously evil-looking, even if she seemed as genuinely pleasant as Shirou was.

Shirou had left for now, apparently intending to contact his superiors, leaving Harry in Assassin's presence. She was beautiful, but it was a cruel beauty, Harry could tell. But still…

"Why do you look like an elf?" Harry voiced out loud, before regretting it.

She raised a delicate eyebrow. "…You mean the popular image of them, with the pointed ears? It's a sign of divine parentage. Let's leave it at that. I don't like discussing my parentage."

"Sorry."

"Don't be. Curiosity is a virtue, as long as it does not become a vice. You should count yourself lucky on many counts, Harry Potter. Firstly, you somehow survived soul transference, which would normally entail using some part of the Third True Magic, Heaven's Feel. Secondly, somehow, your body has an extended lifespan. Homunculi are generally engineered to only last for a few years, but you have the lifespan of a normal human now. And finally, I am sure escaping Yggdmillennia was no mean feat, especially as they have at least one Servant."

"Two," Harry said. "I remember some creep in a mask calling himself Caster coming along with that Roche kid to look at me and discuss whether I should be used as a reactor core to his Noble Phantasm. Something called Golem Keter Melkuth."

Assassin frowned in thought, before nodding. "I see. It seems that your naming his Noble Phantasm has allowed me to discern who he is, thanks to the information from the Grail. His true name is Avicebron, also known as Solomon ibn Gabirol. He was a kabbalist, poet and philosopher who lived in Spain in the 11th Century, and who was said to be a master golem-maker. You have my gratitude, Harry Potter."

He nodded himself. While he didn't trust her, if this helped them take down Yggdmillennia, then he was glad to help. Fiore and Caules, he would want them to spare, they didn't seem like bad people. But Darnic, Celenike, and Gordes had thought little of turning him into a lab rat to vivisect, and Roche seemed to be gleefully apathetic to human suffering. "…But what will happen to me?"

"That is up to my Master to decide, Harry," Assassin said.

"I'm not going back. I've been there for over a year now, I think. I looked at a calendar just as I was about to leave, to find out how long I've been there."

"A year being experimented on. So long." A look of sympathy crossed Assassin's features, and the hand she reached out to gently caress his cheek seemed genuinely soothing. "…I'm sorry. I know the lengths many Magi go to for their experiments, but this…I will be the first to admit I am a cruel person in many ways, but this is beyond the pale. And yet, you survived, with your sanity more or less intact. I'm impressed."

"…I don't know how. My memory's pretty spotty," Harry admitted out loud. "I think at times, they put me into cold storage to wait for me to recover for weeks at a time. Well, in one of those tanks, anyway. Ugh, the liquid in that tasted like dragon piss, and I was breathing that too."

And then, it all came tumbling out of him. The emotions he had kept bottled up. By the time he regained himself, he was sobbing into the shoulder of Assassin, who was gently holding him to herself in a maternal manner.

He didn't realise Shirou had come back until he heard the priest gently clearing his throat. "Forgive the interruption, but I have finished speaking to my superiors in the Vatican, along with Rocco Belfeban, Head of Summoning at Clock Tower. As far as the Vatican is concerned, my orders have not changed. However, the survivor of the disciplinary squad has already reported by phone to Rocco. He has given me a friendly warning, to not advertise your status as a Homunculus with a human soul in it."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Because they would probably slap what is known as a Sealing Designation on you," Shirou said. "That basically means that you are the result of research that, while abhorrent in nature, is potentially vital to the advancement of magecraft knowledge. Many Magi are amoral, obsessed with pursuing Akasha, no matter what the cost. And as the experiments performed on you emulate a facet of one of the most famous True Magics…" Shirou shrugged.

"I can't go there now? To London?"

Harry realised just then how odd he seemed. While Japanese, he had dark tanned skin and a shock of white hair, his eyes a distinctive bronze colour. Despite seemingly in his late teens, Shirou had this vague air of age about him. He seemed to have this vaguely unnerving air of serenity about him. "Yggdmillennia has dominion over all of Romania, even if their influence is relatively small outside of their citadel and Trifas. However, they have people in many positions of the government, and after the Enforcers' little expedition, security is sure to have been tightened. But, I discussed a possibility with Rocco. Well, he was the one who brought it up. I am loath to ask this of you, as you have just escaped Yggdmillennia's headquarters, but he insisted that I ask on his behalf. Rocco wants me to ask you to summon a Servant of your own."

Harry stared at Shirou. "…What?"

"Allow me to explain. When the Enforcers came here to try and assassinate Darnic, they had a secondary mission, to activate an auxiliary function of the Greater Grail. Darnic was hoping to stack the odds in his favour by summoning as many Servants as his followers could, but the function allows for two sides to be formed of seven Servants apiece. That's fourteen Servants in total. I have already summoned Assassin, meaning that there are six Servants to be summoned on the Magus Association's side. Yggdmillennia have Lancer…"

"And Caster," Assassin said. "True name: Avicebron. Harry managed to overhear the name of his Noble Phantasm, and the Grail filled me in."

"Ah. Useful to know." Shirou returned his attention back to Harry. "A number of Magi have been either contacted or considered for positions on our side. However, as you have magical ability, Rocco asked me to ask you to join us. Of course, unless you desire revenge, I doubt that this is a fight you have any investment in, and given your ordeal, I wouldn't be surprised if you wished to stay out of this. If you do so, you are welcome to stay under my aegis, until the Grail War is concluded. While I cannot guarantee your full safety, I can protect you to the best of my abilities. If you do decide to summon a Servant, we will be allies and comrades against Yggdmillennia, but it will also be a considerably more risky venture. Servants are superhuman entities, after all, and what's more, an easy way to hobble a Servant is to kill the Master. In addition, I am sure Yggdmillennia would be eager to retrieve you, even if they don't know who you really are, and if you are an active participant in the Grail War, they will have more opportunities to discover your existence and reclaim you."

Harry digested this. Shirou had, at least, been upfront with his information, even warning of the risks. He'd laid his cards on the table. But he also pointed out how dangerous it was to participate in the Holy Grail War.

"Can I think about it?" Harry asked.

"Of course. This is not a decision I make lightly. That being said, once Yggdmillennia are dealt with, the surviving Servants of our side will have to fight in order to determine a winner. While I will try to avoid targeting enemy Masters, other Magi will not be so merciful. So consider that before you decide one way or the other…"

* * *

They left their new guest to consider it, while Shirou and Semiramis convened in another room, the latter putting up a Bounded Field to deter any eavesdroppers, or at least their guest. "Did you mean what you said?" Semiramis asked.

"He has suffered much. I can see it in his eyes," Shirou said. "Our plan to suborn any other Masters of Red via your potions will not apply to him. We just keep it from him. We only suborn him if necessary."

"Hmm. He is suspicious of me, though I believe that is partly the way I look and partly because, given that he's been through so much fighting already, he is understandably paranoid," Semiramis mused. "Still…I actually do feel sorry for him. I am a cruel woman, I will freely admit that, but to subject him to months of experimentation…and he is rather young by this age's standard to get caught up in battle. He seems so weary."

"Indeed. But…I have a feeling that he may be one of our best allies. I just felt that I should reveal the risks to him before he made a decision. Also, we should keep our plan to deal with any possible Ruler secret."

Semiramis nodded. "Still…to have survived with his sanity intact…I think there's more to it than mere mental fortitude…"

* * *

It took ages for him to acknowledge the decision he had made, even if he made up his mind a few minutes after Shirou and Assassin had left. While he didn't want to get involved in a war like this, leaving the Greater Grail in the hands of Darnic and his cronies was a mistake. He did still believe that Fiore and Caules were decent people, just kept under Darnic's thumb, but the rest of Yggdmillennia?

No. He wasn't going to let Darnic have something that powerful. It was dawn when he finally got up, and walked out to find Shirou and Assassin having a meal. "So, you've come to a decision?" Shirou asked.

"Yeah. I'll summon a Servant."

**CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:**

**So, Harry has been made an offer by Shirou, one which he has accepted. But will he regret it?**

**No numbered annotations this time.**


	4. Chapter 3: The Summoning

**CHAPTER 3:**

**THE SUMMONING**

Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia was NOT a good man, even he would admit as such. Then again, given that he fused with infant souls to remain youthful (hence why he looked to be in his twenties or thirties when in reality, he was already a centenarian), you couldn't exactly call yourself a man or good. Darnic did not care for the morality of his actions, and to tell the truth, he was sure that any Magus would do the same if they could get away with it. Magi were, on the whole, notoriously amoral.

However, Darnic did have certain standards. True, he was a megalomaniac, driven by a bruised pride after being made a political outcast within Clock Tower early in his life, and his method of remaining young left a lot to be desired by those who clung to tattered remnants of morality. He'd even collaborated with the Nazis to steal the Greater Grail, though he backstabbed them as soon as their use was finished. But Darnic was also a pragmatist. A good Magus had to be, and not unnecessarily sadistic or brutal. If nothing else, it was cleaner.

And yet, one of those under his care was beginning to show herself to be something of a liability. And just when his plans to secede from the Magus Association with the Greater Grail as leverage were coming to fruition. Hence why he was making his way to the dungeons of the Yggdmillennia castle, where said personage resided. It suited her, really.

Yggdmillennia, unlike other Magi bloodlines, didn't give their teachings and Magic Crests to a single heir, but shared them amongst their members. In fact, it had become a refuge for bloodlines that were either dying out, or losing political capital in the Magus Association. Darnic really gave this aspect to Yggdmillennia to reap the fruits of the research of other bloodlines, but it helped give his clan some supporters at Clock Tower, for many were disaffected by that coterie of hidebound dinosaurs and antediluvian politicians, only marginally better than the inbred lines of the wizards and their pathetic Ministries of Magic and similar bodies.

Gordes Musik Yggdmillennia was a pompous arse from a decaying bloodline, but his knowledge and expertise on Homunculi was valuable. In fact, the only way Darnic could do better was to retain one of the von Einzbern line, and given how reclusive they had become since Darnic stole the Greater Grail and put paid to their Master back in the Thirties, well, good luck getting that done. Fiore and Caules Forvedge Yggdmillennia were young prodigies. True, Fiore, despite or because of her disability (caused by magic circuits interfering with her leg nerves), was the actual magecraft prodigy, and she certainly had a keen mind (so much so that, in the unlikely event Darnic perished, she was the only one he trusted to be his successor), but Caules, while a mediocre Magus, was also more aware of modern technology and had a good mind.

Roche Frain Yggdmillennia. A child prodigy when it came to golems, but an eccentric and misanthrope, despite his young age. Hyouma Sagara, who was currently in Japan, wrapping up his sideline in host work and preparing to use his lover as a sacrifice to summon Assassin, was mediocre, but surprisingly creative when it came to mind control, suggestion and curses. Then again, he exchanged notes with the very woman Darnic was going to see. Celenike Icecolle Yggdmillennia, the last scion of the near-extinct Icecolle bloodline.

He entered the dungeon to find Celenike cleaning one of her knives. In her twenties, her silvery hair framed cruelly beautiful features, golden eyes flashing from behind glasses, her Yggdmillennia uniform deliberately opened in a way to expose part of her bosom. She was beautiful, but Darnic was never attracted to her. He wasn't quite asexual, but he never really viewed sex as being anything other than recreation and procreation, and besides, sleeping with someone as unstable as Celenike was to flirt with death far more than magecraft research ever could. She had ambitions, dangerous ambitions, and although an expert in curses and torture, she was not a pragmatist, save for hiding her urges as much as possible.

Still, Celenike seemed like she was in as foul a mood as he was. Good. Though she had clearly dismembered a Homunculus, given the smell of blood in the air and the absence of one of those patrolling the area. "What do you want, Darnic?" she asked peevishly. "I thought you were dealing with the clean-up of those Enforcers Clock Tower sent to us."

Darnic was not impressed by her insolence. "And of the escape of that Homunculus. One of those you experimented on using Potter's body, the one Caster had set his eyes on for making the core of his Noble Phantasm."

Celenike sniffed in disdain. "That's hardly my fault. That fat oaf Gordes is in charge of the Homunculi, not me."

"True, but you were the one who attempted to retrieve him initially. Or rather, as Caules put it, you played with your food, and the Homunculus managed to knock you down with a spell."

Celenike slammed a gloved palm down on the tray. "That weak little brat is lying."

"Really? I trust his version of events, along with those of the Homunculi with him, more than I do yours." He reached over and gripped her chin, just tightly enough to hurt, and brought her face around to face him. "You forget your place here, Celenike. When you were brought into Yggdmillennia, you swore an oath to put our interests above your own, but every day, I see more and more evidence that you just use our resources to fulfil your twisted hedonistic desires. Your experiments on Harry Potter bore less fruit than you promised me, despite having done so for the best part of a year. A grand total of three Homunculi with enhanced magic, one of whom has somehow awakened and fled. The other two have rapidly declining conditions. And we have a practically empty body that's on life support, because he is all but brain dead. I had to lie to Fiore and Caules, say that he tried to sabotage our operation. So all your experimentation on a valuable resource has amounted to nothing."

"That is not my fault!" Celenike retorted.

"I daresay it is. You used your so-called experiments as an excuse to torture him, not to further our knowledge of his magical ability," Darnic said coldly. "Gordes, as much as an oaf and a fool that he is, at least documented his parts of the experiments, so there is something we can salvage, but you…I'm sure all you cared about was having some masturbatory material in your memory! Now we have lost the one good thing to have come out of it! While the Homunculus' initial escape from his tank was not your fault, your actions during your attempt to retrieve it was." He then let go of her chin, watching her resentment bubble away just beneath the surface. "So I am here to give you an ultimatum. There are only two weeks until we summon the remainder of our Servants. Shape up and restrain yourself, or I will ensure that you will not summon Rider, or indeed any Servant. I will find someone else to do so."

"You can't!" Celenike snarled. "You need me, Darnic!"

"I do not need a liability. Heed my words, or face the consequences." With that, Darnic left.

He knew this wasn't the end of it. However, if Celenike stepped too far out of line, he knew how to deal with her. He'd been discussing with Avicebron alternatives for his Noble Phantasm's reactor core, and a Magus with enough power fit the bill nicely. Celenike might fill the role, forfeiting her role as a Master. And given that the Homunculi were providing the mana for the Servants, he could potentially give one of the Forvedges command of Rider. He trusted their loyalty and intelligence, at least, to allow one of them to command two Servants, though he'd have to keep an eye on them. Or maybe use Gordes' son Goldorf? He was a fat oaf like his father, but he would obey. Or maybe he could inveigle one of their supporters from Clock Tower.

Well, with any luck, Celenike would toe the line for now. But the Homunculus, the one hybridised with Harry Potter's magic, had disappeared, seemingly teleporting when he confronted him. Where did he end up? He would have to find out. Once he did so, he'd have to have the damned thing kept in confinement, to see if he could find a way to replicate that in normal humans. With such a potentially valuable resource at stake, he couldn't waste him by giving him to either Celenike or Avicebron.

Darnic sighed softly to himself. While he wasn't quite surrounded by idiots, his policy of taking in decaying bloodlines and those disaffected with Clock Tower's policies hadn't exactly ensured he had the best of the best. Then again, everyone here was either loyal to him, or else feared him enough that their allegiance to him was assured, save for Celenike. He wondered what the Homunculus was doing right now…

* * *

"_For the origin, silver and steel. For the cornerstone, gem and the Archduke of Contracts. For the ancestor, my great master Schweinorg_. _The alighted wind becomes a wall. Close the gates in the four directions. From the crown, come forth. Trace the three-forked road leading to the kingdom. Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill. Repeat fivefold, and when each is filled, destroy it_."

Harry watched as Shirou drew out the summoning circle for him in a basement of the church. "A bit elaborate, isn't it?" he asked Assassin, who was standing next to him.

She chuckled darkly. "Actually, as far as rituals go, this one is a relatively simple one, especially considering that you are effectively bringing the dead back to life. The Greater Grail acts as a catalyst, doing most of the heavy-lifting, so to speak. True, magic was easier during my time, during the dying days of the Age of the Gods, but still…in any case, this isn't technically reviving the dead. You can't use this for just any dead person. It has to be used on someone who has ascended to the Throne of Heroes."

"Darnic brought that up," Harry said, frowning at the thought of Darnic and his betrayal. "The Throne of Heroes is…well, it's where the spirits of heroes and other notable figures from myth and history reside."

"Indeed. Even those who would not be considered heroes normally would be there, either because one man's hero is another's villain, or else as cautionary tales, anti-heroes."

"…And which are you?"

"I do not consider myself a hero or a villain, boy," she said, shooting him an irritated look. "But I was a ruler of not inconsiderable renown who led my people in both peace and strife. Besides, the line between hero and villain is somewhat blurred. Look at Lancer. Vlad Tepes was infamous for his cruelty and brutality, something that led to him becoming known in fiction as a vampire, and yet, here in Romania, he is considered a national hero for fending off the Ottoman Empire."

Harry frowned at that, but conceded her point. Shirou stood, and walked over to them with his own seemingly perpetual smile. "In any case, the ritual is ready. Would you like to begin? Here's the chant. I'd suggest prefacing it with the words 'the colour I bestow is Red'." He handed over a sheet of paper.

"Why?"

"Clock Tower has dubbed our faction the Red Faction, with Yggdmillennia as the Black Faction. It's to assure that the Greater Grail knows what side to summon for, so to speak, now that the two team contingency is active."

Harry nodded, and stepped up to the circle. He was a bit unsure as to whether this was the course he wanted to take, but he decided, he needed to do this. Sighing, he held out his hand, began pumping magic into the ritual circle like Shirou said he should, murmuring, "The colour I bestow is Red." The ritual circle promptly lit up with a crimson colour, and he knew there was no turning back…

* * *

She fell through imaginary space, allowing herself to slither down slides of probability, channelling her avatar, constructed to act as a Heroic Spirit, towards the summoning. She felt herself being pulled down towards one in particular, and smiled with anticipation. The chant was one she never heard before, and yet, it resonated within her soul with some sort of familiarity.

"_Heed my words. My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny. If you heed the Grail's call, and obey my will and reason, then answer my summoning! I hereby swear that I shall be all the good in the world, that I shall defeat all evil in the world! Seventh Heaven clad, and the great words of power, come forth from the circle of bindings, Guardian of the Scales!_"

She found herself in a summoning circle in a chamber. Words formed themselves in her head, and she spoke them without hesitation. "Rider of Red has answered your summons. I ask of you, are you my Master?"

There was another Servant there, a dark-haired woman with golden eyes who set her instincts screaming. So too did the man with tanned skin and an explosion of white hair. And between them…with light brown hair and mismatched eyes, one green, the other pink…

Yes. This was him. She knew even before he checked his hand for the Command Seals, and then raised them to show her. "I guess I'm your Master. I'm Harry Potter," he said.

She knew that, thanks to the Greater Grail. She knew the Greater Grail, through what little influence it had on reality, had kept him sane. Even though his appearance has changed, when his damaged and tattered soul had merged with this Homunculus body, she knew who he was. And she couldn't help a smile touch her lips, even if only slightly. Perhaps now, Altera had a chance at freedom from the shackles that bound her…

**CHAPTER 3 ANNOTATIONS:**

**So, Darnic's having trouble with employee relations, and Harry's summoned Altera.**

**So…a Rider Altera. I'm sure many of you will be up in arms about the blasphemy, given that she's canonically only a Saber and a Foreigner (unless you count her Archer Santa form from Fate/Grand Order), but think about it. The Huns were famous horseback riders, and Altera, as Attila, surely rode a horse.**

**I spent some time with Arawn D Draven nutting out Noble Phantasms (one of the advantages of a Rider is that they tend to have more NPs) for her, and here are three of the four I have planned, with details of the third redacted a little. Plus a teaser of the fourth…**

**PHOTON RAY: Altera's distinctive sword. With it, she can use a variety of attacks. The first, Teardrop Photon Ray, is a somewhat nerfed version of her Anti-Army attack from ****_Fate/Extella_****. The second, Fairy Snow Photon Ray, is her NP as Altera Larva from ****_Fate/Extella Link_****, only with less cuteness and more awesomeness. Finally, Comet Drill Photon Ray is her NP from ****_Fate/Grand Order_****.**

**ETZEL: As with other Riders, she can summon her mount or vehicle in life. Etzel was her favourite horse. Etzel was the name given to Attila the Hun in the ****_Nibelungenlied_**** (which ought to make things interesting when Siegfried makes an appearance and meets her), and was the name Altera herself would have preferred to be known by, instead of 'Attila'.**

**FLAGELLUM DEI: THE SCOURGE OF GOD RIDES FORTH: 'Flagellum Dei', Latin for 'Scourge of God', was Attila's epithet in life. I won't actually state out loud what this NP does, but those familiar with the NPs of another Rider, and his infamous Berserker opponent, might be able to hazard a guess. And no, it's not a Reality Marble.**

**S***Y*: THE *H**E *IT** OF *EL**R: Her fourth Noble Phantasm, and her most dangerous.**

**No numbered annotations this time.**


	5. Chapter 4: Altera

**CHAPTER 4:**

**ALTERA**

Panting from mild magical exhaustion, Harry couldn't help but stare at the woman revealed in the summoning circle, even as she stepped out of it. She was a figure of graceful beauty, but every instinct was screaming at him that she was deadly dangerous. Perhaps more so than Assassin, and that was saying something.

She appeared to be in her twenties. Her figure was slender but athletic, virtually little more than muscle, coiled and lithe rather than bulky. She was clad in little, her rather modest bust covered by a breast band, her groin covered by something like a G-string, and a long veil-like cloth draped from her head. Her skin was dark, not quite the dark skin of an African, but perhaps closer to the Middle East, with geometrical pale lines adorning her skin in places. Shoulder length white hair framed beautiful but impassive features, while a pair of crimson eyes peered out at him.

In her hand, she clutched a rather strange sword, one that looked vaguely futuristic, its blade like a crystallised rainbow. Her very poise was that of a warrior woman, no, something more inhuman than that. A force of destruction embodied in human form. And yet…there was something in those crimson eyes that hinted of something more than just destruction. Sadness and warmth, just beneath the cold surface.

"A Rider?" Shirou mused as Rider stepped forward. "Hmm. Interesting. Riders tend to have the largest variety of Noble Phantasms." As her attention turned to him, he bowed. "I am Shirou Kotomine, the Church's coordinator for what will now be called the Red Faction. And this is my Servant, Assassin. If you wish, we can exchange true names to establish trust?"

Rider seemed to consider this, before she shook her head. "If you wish to call me by another name, call me Altera. It is the name I would have preferred in life, instead of the one I was given."

Assassin and Shirou exchanged a look, with Shirou nodding. "Well, my Master has given assent for me to divulge my true name. I am Semiramis, Wise Empress of Assyria."

Harry looked over at Shirou. "Sorry, who?"

"Ah, right. Semiramis was one of the ancient empresses of Babylon, or rather, Assyria," the priest explained. "A demigoddess, with her mother being the fish goddess Derketo. She is perhaps best known as one of the first poisoners in myth, though there is considerably more to her than that. Don't worry, I've had enough time to get to know her, and she's actually a rather pleasant woman beneath the veneer of her more imperious behaviour."

Altera looked over to Semiramis. "…Well met, Empress of Assyria," she said, her tone soft and flat. "I too was once a ruler. I presume we are working together."

"Of course. However, I will need to confer with my Master, and I am sure you wish to get to know your own," Semiramis said. With that, Shirou and Semiramis left the room, leaving Harry alone with Altera.

Harry looked her up and down. He couldn't help but blush a little at her rather skimpy clothing. Eventually, he asked, "So…Altera. I guess you're not telling me your real name yet?"

"No. There are a few reasons. Firstly, I do not wholly trust the priest or his Assassin, and they may try to read your mind to know it. Secondly, to give the true name of a Servant when the Master does not know it is unusual. You summoned me without a catalyst, and thus had no inkling of who I am. Therefore, I will wait. And thirdly…" She looked away to the side, her stoic features showing a sense of melancholy and regret. "…I am not proud of what I did in life. If you knew the name I was given, or what I did in life, I fear you would reject me, at least not until we got to know each other."

"…You killed people?"

"Many, many people. If you wish for a reason why, I was a ruler of conquerors and destroyers. I regret being a destroyer, and that is my wish for the Greater Grail, to erase or at least mitigate that part of myself that is compelled to destroy. Does that satisfy you, Master?"

Harry frowned. Well, he was already when she admitted she had killed a lot of people. Then again, wouldn't a lot of heroes? They'd often make their name in warfare, he was sure, by commanding armies or fighting them. On the other hand, she admitted that she didn't like destruction, and wished to rid herself of that using the Grail. There was certainly a melancholy air to her, not a bloodthirsty or aggressive one. So he said, "I'll accept it for now."

"Understood." She then walked over to him, dismissing her sword. When she was closer to him, she gave a small, lugubrious smile. "You are my one hope, Master, to put an end to a part of me that I despise."

And that's what helped Harry, if not to trust her, then at least give her the benefit of the doubt. He smiled in return and held out his hand. "Stop calling me Master, Altera. My name is Harry."

"…Harry…yes. I will call you Harry…"

* * *

"Attila the Hun?" Semiramis asked, an eyebrow raised. "That woman is Attila the Hun?"

"Yes," Shirou said as they conversed within their anti-eavesdropping Bounded Field. "My True Name Discernment allowed me to discern that much, as well as a couple of her Noble Phantasms and abilities. That sword she wields is the Sword of Mars, supposedly, and qualifies as an Anti-Army Noble Phantasm. I'll have to notify Rocco that the Rider slot is now taken."

Semiramis nodded. "And her parameters and skills?"

"Quite good. If I didn't know any better, she would be a Saber. As it is, she retains the Magic Resistance skill of a Saber. Something to keep in mind should she turn on us. However, the information I obtained is incomplete…even redacted somehow."

"Should we consider suborning him?"

"We'll keep our options open for now, but yes."

"So, why not do it now?" After a moment, Semiramis smirked. "Ah, I see. He reminds you a little of yourself, doesn't he?"

"Not really. I encountered other Servants like him during the Third Holy Grail War. There was one in particular…a good man, weighed down by pain and suffering, just like I had been. I had something of a kinship with him, before everything went wrong. And in any case, Harry may be a sign. Maybe he is either a sign of God's approval of my plans, or a sign of disapproval. And he intrigues me. I wish to get to know him better."

"A fool's errand, I believe, but I will defer to your decision, Shirou," Semiramis said. "Still, he could be a useful asset as long as he is kept ignorant. Has Rocco Belfeban notified you of who will be likely to be Masters on our side?"

"So far, the only definites are Feend vor Sembren and Jean Rum," Shirou mused. "vor Sembren is one of Clock Tower's best instructors, while Jean Rum is a noted freelancer who happened to be in Clock Tower when Rocco heard about the disciplinary squad's decimation. He's reaching out to various freelancers. I should be thankful that Kiritsugu Emiya has retired. He'd be too paranoid for you to suborn, and he might even be a danger to me. It's not for nothing that he's known as the Magus Killer…"

* * *

"So, how are you getting along with your Servant?" Shirou asked Harry as they had tea shortly afterwards. Altera was standing nearby, as was Semiramis.

"…Well enough, I guess. She seems to think that if I knew her true identity, I'd hate her."

"That's a fair point," Shirou said. "One man's hero is another's villain, and many would consider Semiramis a villain. In truth, I find her rather agreeable company. She is intelligent, cultured, and surprisingly nice. She is a good example of why one shouldn't judge by appearances or reputation, as she would only display her nasty side to her enemies. Altera is doubtlessly another example."

Harry nodded, albeit uneasily. "So…I need to ask…why is a priest, even someone from this…Burial Agency you spoke of, here with a Servant?"

Shirou frowned, considering the question, before he said, "It's a rather long story. Normally, I would not consider saying this, but…well, given what you've been through, you doubtlessly have trust issues. Firstly, I should point out that the Church has had an involvement with the Holy Grail War for some time. They had an interest in it during the First and Second Holy Grail Wars during the 19th Century, but after the mess the Second Grail War became, the Magi involved invited the Church to send a representative as a mediator, a referee of sorts. Keep in mind, Christianity is not as prominent a religion in Japan as it is in Europe, and Japan had been isolated from the rest of the world until the 19th Century, when Commodore Perry came along."

"Darnic and the Forvedges didn't tell me this, at least as far as I can remember," Harry mused out loud. "They mentioned a Church Overseer, but not why the Church got involved in the first place."

"Indeed. If the Holy Grail was indeed the drinking vessel of Our Lord, the Vatican would have made a considerable effort to retrieve it. However, due to its power, it cannot be ignored either. My adoptive father, Risei Kotomine, was chosen as the Overseer for the Third Holy Grail War. The Tohsaka family, from what I understand, desired a means to reach Akasha, but the von Einzberns and the Matous coveted the Third True Magic, Heaven's Feel. The von Einzberns wished to reclaim what was originally their family's True Magic, and the Matous, specifically Zouken…well…let's say the world is better off without him."

Harry frowned at Shirou's words. "What do you mean?"

"His magic and means of passing it on through his family was vile and dark, even by this world's standards. Members of his family with any potential were infested with worms that gave them power, but were parasites. In men, they'd only eat bone marrow and nerves. In women…the worms effectively raped them, infesting the womb."

Harry grimaced in disgust. "Okay, I see what you mean. So what does that have to do with your story?"

"The von Einzbern family were getting desperate, trying to retrieve their lost magic, so they decided to summon an atypical Servant, hacking the system, so to speak. Their first choice was to use Avenger, a Servant normally unsummonable by the Greater Grail. They hoped to summon an aspect of Angra Mainyu, the Zoroastrian devil figure. However, they eventually decided on summoning a Ruler Servant instead, albeit under different circumstances. A Ruler would normally only be summonable in a Grail War between two teams. But they managed to hack the Greater Grail and force a summoning. They hoped this Ruler would be able to win the Grail War for them, and so it happened. The von Einzberns were delighted, and their Servant was allowed to go to the Greater Grail first out of gratitude. However, while Ruler was there…Darnic, who was the Master of Lancer, struck, using the Nazis to attack the remaining Masters. Ruler, who had not obtained his wish, but gained a mortal body, went to save his Master, who was already dead, while the Nazis swiftly excavated the Greater Grail and took it with them. Darnic betrayed them in transit, though this was not discovered until later."

Harry frowned. He'd heard part of this story from Darnic himself. Not about how he used the Nazis to steal the Greater Grail, but certainly how he 'retrieved' the Greater Grail from Fuyuki in revenge for Clock Tower shunning him and his family out of some politically-motivated action.

"Ruler, with his Master murdered, sought refuge with the Overseer. You see, when he realised what had happened, well, he was understandably upset. So he was adopted into the Kotomine family, his body kept eternally youthful by his Noble Phantasm."

Altera frowned when she realised something. "You were that Ruler?"

"Indeed. My true name is actually Shirou… but my full name is Shirou Amakusa Tokisada."

Harry stared at him blankly. He was understandably in shock at Shirou revealing himself to be a Servant, or at least a former one, but his other reaction was just bemusement. "…Who?"

"I am not that well-known outside of Japan," Shirou admitted. "I am considered a folk saint, one not officially recognised by the Vatican, but venerated by many Japanese Christians."

"You led a rebellion against the Shogunate in 1638," Altera supplied, presumably knowing the information from the Grail. "It failed, with the upshot being that Christianity in Japan was driven into the shadows, and that foreigners were not suffered in Japan for two centuries."

"That is, quite literally, in the past," Shirou said with a smile that looked rather mournful. "My family and friends died in that bloodbath. That I have become venerated is frankly embarrassing and somewhat disheartening. I had power and devotion to God, true, and the Shogunate were utterly disproportionate in their response to my followers, but I was also a foolish youth whose rebellion went nowhere, taking countless lives with me into the grave. I would not recommend martyrdom as a career choice."

"So is that why you're doing this?" Harry asked. "Revenge against Darnic?"

"I can't lie and say that revenge isn't part of it, though denying him the Greater Grail is a larger priority than mere revenge. My Master was a most wonderful and beautiful woman, more of a friend than a Master, despite being a Homunculus. In truth, she was more human than most of that family, even the human members. So to honour her and her family, I intend to bring Heaven's Feel back into the world. However, while technically the Red Faction will be a single team working against Yggdmillennia, in truth, Magi in general are fairly selfish and amoral creatures, and they will desire the Greater Grail for their own ends, either personal glory, or a chance at obtaining access to Akasha. Perhaps they will use it for still selfish but noble ends, such as resurrecting a loved one, at their best."

"…So they're like Darnic and Celenike?" Harry asked.

"They are doubtless the more extreme of Magi when it comes to amorality, but they are not truly unusual," Shirou said. "Many Magi discard their own humanity in pursuit of Akasha, both figuratively and literally. From what you said, the Forvedges are the sole beacons of light and righteousness in Yggdmillennia, and even then, they daren't go against Darnic. Though in truth, many would flock to Yggdmillennia's banners in protest against the Magus Association's policies. But I digress. I have placed my cards on the table, Harry. I have told you a secret I do not intend on telling the rest of the Red Faction. I have placed my trust in you. I hope, in time, you can return that."

Harry nodded absently. But still, he had to wonder at the implications of this. Was Shirou truly as friendly as he seemed? Or was he trying to manipulate Harry? He really hoped not. He wanted to believe that Shirou could be an ally, after facing so many betrayals. But he wasn't sure he ever could, though for now, it wasn't like he had much of a choice…

**CHAPTER 4 ANNOTATIONS:**

**So, there you have it. Altera and Harry get to know each other, and Shirou reveals what he is.**

**Now, why did Shirou do this? Well, Shirou actually feels a link with Harry, an empathy. Harry is the sort of person Shirou is fighting to save, those who try to do good, so he's basically told Harry a twisted version of the truth to get him on-side, specifically what he desires from the Grail. It's a ploy that might work in an unexpected way, but the whole point of this story is to eventually get Shirou to make a heel-face turn, or, more to the point, not do what he intended in canon.**

**Sorry about the delay. I meant to do it yesterday evening, my time, 24 hours after the first chapters were posted, but the review system of this website decided to have a conniption.**

**Review-answering time! ****Skull Flame****: Rider-Altera basically looks identical to how she looked in ****_Fate/Extella_****. Maybe the patterns on her body are a little different.**

**ZLC genesmith****: There are merely the known classes for her. Her Archer form is really only her Santa form, though the Huns surely had archers anyway. So qualifying her as a Rider is logical. However, you missed another class she is canonically: ****_Foreigner_****. Archimedes calls her this in passing in ****_Fate/Extella Link_****.**

**Dragon Man 180****: It's funny you should say that. There IS a fic where Semiramis raises Harry. It does verge on being a slashfic and has been abandoned, but if you're interested, look up ****_The Serpent's Garden_**** by Dragonofshadows115.**

**Guest****: Regarding Altera's NP, the classification is Anti-Army, though admittedly, Tear Drop Photon Ray in ****_Fate/Extella_**** IS Anti-Fortress. However, Altera has a far more dangerous NP up her…well, she doesn't really have sleeves, does she? What's more, it'll be key to dealing with Shirou…albeit not in the way you'd think.**

**No numbered annotations this time.**


	6. Chapter 5: The Titaness

**CHAPTER 5:**

**THE TITANESS**

Harry drifted off to sleep not that long afterwards. When he opened his eyes, he wasn't expecting to find himself in a vast cavern. He found himself, like Edmond Dantés opening up the treasure he would use to become the Count of Monte Cristo, bedazzled.

The cave was vast, filled to the brim with coins, gems, and treasures of all kinds. It seemed like a treasure cave of some pirate king, filled with loot and plunder, or perhaps the treasure house of some giant in a fairytale. And not just that, but the cave didn't just feel full of treasure. It felt, oddly, warm and welcoming. A bit bleak, but it wasn't so bad.

He then noticed the strange altar, and realised that his earlier thought of this being like a treasure house of some giant from a fairytale was not wholly inaccurate. For, sitting on this altar was a giant figure. Something unreal, surreal…and yet, surprisingly, he was not as afraid as he could have been.

For this giant appeared to be Altera.

The impression he got from her, though, was not hostility, but curiosity, concern, perhaps a little wariness. Which seemed odd, considering that she was a five storey giant. He may still have his magic, even if it'd be trickier to use it sans wand, but he knew, with a strange instinct, that it would do little good. It wasn't that she was frightened of him per se, he knew. Rather, she was worried about his reaction.

And then, she spoke. Oddly enough, her voice didn't boom or roar around the cavern. It was surprisingly soft and quiet, a gentle tone, as if she was a normal person standing right next to him, only the echoes betraying the true size of the speaker. "Ah…good evening. I think it's evening over where you are, along with my avatar." She looked a bit bemused, even embarrassed, at the admission.

"…Avatar?" Harry asked.

"Yes. The Rider Servant you have already met is an avatar. This is the real me, or rather, an interface to speak with you directly through our link," the giant Altera said, before she scratched her cheek a little sheepishly. "Sorry, it's…just been so long since I have spoken with someone new."

"…You're the real Altera?" Harry asked.

"Yes, even if this isn't real." She reached over and took a hold of him, placing him on the palm of her hand and bringing him up to eye level. He was so surprised at the sheer gentleness of the gesture that he didn't even resist. "The technical term is a memetic construct in a miniature noosphere based on our shared connection. A more loose but still not inaccurate term would be that this is a shared dream of sorts. That is why we can touch, even though you are lying in a bed in Romania, and I am confined to a cavern within the Alps. This isn't even what it is like in reality."

"And what is it like in reality?" Harry asked.

"…Do you really want to know?" Altera asked, apprehension in her tone.

"…Yes. If you want me to trust you."

"Ah. I see." Altera gently closed her eyes, and then…

_Everything __**changed**__._

_The cavern was dark, only glowing lines, arcane and eldritch writing covering them lighting it up. That, and the __**THING**__ holding him._

**_IT _**_wasn't human. __**IT**__ had a vaguely human shape, a glowing bluish-white form, naked, with breasts, long slender arms and legs, the hands and abdomen having holes through which alien stars glinted balefully, but he wasn't falling into the hole, kept away from the distant eldritch stars by a pressure, a fragile pressure that prevented him from falling into the madness-speckled darkness. But __**IT**__ still had Altera's face, albeit alien, the eyes now golden on black sclerae. The scrutiny of the __**ENTITY**__ was like he was suddenly thrust deep beneath the ocean's surface. The gaze awoke a primal terror within him, a distant race memory of a massive __**GIANT**__ of white, stalking the world, destroying all in __**ITS**__ path. And yet, __**IT**__ was beautiful, in a terrifying and alien way. Even as __**IT**__ inspired fear, __**IT**__ also inspired rapture. _

**_IT _**_spoke, __**ITS**__ voice both musical and yet utterly alien, and terrifying, for __**IT**__ sounded like, if __**IT**__ didn't restrain __**ITSELF**__, __**IT**__ could shatter the world with but a whisper._

**_THIS IS ME_**_._

_And then_…

Everything changed, and Harry was swaying on her palm. "…What the hell was that?" he hissed.

"You saw me as I truly was, this space as it truly is," Altera said. "A prison. And you saw my true form. Sephyr, the White Titan of the Umbral Star, Velber. Its herald, and its slave. The reason why you are so scared was because you are affected by a race memory of my advent."

"Velber?" Harry asked, still in shock.

"It's a long story. This memetic space, thankfully, allows me to stretch subjective time. We could be in here for years in here, and hours pass in physical reality," Altera said. "So we have time."

"…And I'm a captive audience?" Harry asked sardonically, trying to recover his equilibrium.

Altera shrugged. "I need your help to remove Velber's leash. So please…save your questions for later. Perhaps I should start at the beginning. Millennia ago…I have distant, shadowy memories of a life on another world. A world which was torn asunder by Velber, the Umbral Star. This entity roves through space, destroying civilisations where it goes, harvesting their energy. It often sends heralds, entities derived from victims it has consumed in the past, under its control. I was one of them."

She gestured at the wall, and a cave-painting seemed to appear, depicting a massive white silhouette. "14 millennia ago, I was sent to Earth to prepare it for Velber's advent. I laid waste to the Earth, albeit unwillingly. I was only felled by the use of a weapon that would later become known as Excalibur, the sword of King Arthur. In truth…I welcomed my end. I did not wish to destroy, but I was compelled to by Velber. That cave painting is a real painting known as 'the God of Sefar', depicting me in the Tassili n'Ajjer plateau in Algeria(1). Fitting, considering the name I had at the time was Sephyr. I did not die. Most of my body was sealed away within the Alps by the most prominent mages who survived my rampage. The rest of me, a small part of my core that acted as a backup of sorts, ended up in the Middle East. 1500 years ago, this fragment, which became a human child, was found by the people you would know as the Huns. And the elders named me…Attila."

Harry stared at her flatly. "…Attila the Hun…was a woman? And an alien? _What_." And then, after a moment, he asked the question he had to. "…Can I trust you, then?"

Altera looked away for a few seconds. "I don't know," she confessed. "I do not wish to cause destruction. Even the worst that I caused as Attila the Hun, I regret, if only because I wish I did more than destroy lives and civilisations like an automaton, like a weapon. However, Velber still has a link to me." But then, she looked at him, her crimson eyes filled with…determination? But they also glimmered with what looked suspiciously like tears. "But I want to stop being merely a destroyer. I want to be more. The Holy Grail can remove that link with Velber. Then, perhaps I can find a way to live."

He was struck by the emotion there in her voice and face. True, Attila the Hun was infamous for his…well, her reign of terror, bringing down Rome and killing many. And if what she was saying about Sephyr was any indication, she had killed more.

But…he was sure he wasn't looking at someone who wanted to do that. Maybe he was still naïve after all that. Or maybe he wanted to keep saving people, even if it was from themselves. Besides, she was no Celenike, and he had a vague impression of nastier people than Altera, like a woman who looked like a toad, and robed figures with skull masks. Despite her size, she had the air of someone gentle, a bit like Hagrid, but not as lacking in common sense, he thought, even if he couldn't quite remember who that was.

Harry wanted to believe that she was genuine in her desire to be free of Velber's influence. But after the debacle of Darnic's betrayal, he didn't find it easy to trust. Though at least she admitted she didn't know if Harry could trust her. That, ironically, went a long way to establishing something that could lead to trust, because she was able to admit that.

Plus, he had to admit, she interested him. While the Holy Grail War's concept as a whole interested him, as did the Servants fighting them, Altera interested him even more. Seriously, Attila the Hun was an alien superweapon? To say nothing of the fact that she was a very attractive woman. Hell, even her alien form, as terrifying on such a primal level as it was, was also utterly beautiful.

But then, a question occurred to him. "How come Velber hasn't come back to finish what you started?"

"Ah, well, the two entities that make up this world's consciousness, of sorts, had a hand in that," Altera said. "Gaia, the consciousness of the planet proper, and Alaya, the collective will of humanity. While often at odds, they cooperated to enhance the bindings on me, as well as to shield Earth from Velber's gaze. It knows Earth exists, thanks to my presence on it, but it can't find it."

Harry frowned as he considered the implications of what she said. Eventually, he said, "Altera…if we do prevail…I will be the one to make the wish to free you from Velber's influence. Because how would I know if…"

"…If I wouldn't use the Greater Grail to remove the bindings Gaia and Alaya placed on me, and/or remove the shroud that conceals the Earth from Velber?" Altera finished for him, before nodding sadly. "I understand. I will try to abide by such a decision. That is how much I wish to be free, both of Velber's influence, and this prison. You can use the Grail to remove Velber's leash on me, and then, I will wish to be free..."

* * *

Shirou hung up the phone, and began poring over a list of names he had gotten from Rocco Belfeban. Clock Tower had managed to scramble together an impressive array of names. Aside from Feend vor Sembren and Jean Rum, they had managed to get the Gum Brothers, Cabik and Deimlet Pentel, on short notice, and they would be coming to Romania too. The Pentels had received catalysts from Rocco, while vor Sembren and Rum had acquired their own.

A seventh Master was being sought. Rottweil Berzinsky had been considered, but given that he betrayed his employers during one of the Auxiliary Grail Wars, he was a low priority. A stronger candidate was mercenary necromancer Kairi Sisigou (well, his last name was actually 'Shishigou', but his family had Romanized it), but he was currently on a job, and would probably only make it to Clock Tower shortly before the due date. Waver Velvet, Lord El-Melloi II was also being considered, but he had his own responsibilities. Kiritsugu Emiya had been mooted, but he had retired, having nearly burnt out. Apparently he had adopted a son with the same first name as Shirou. Rocco had even been in contact with the Church, having heard about Shirou's adoptive brother, Kirei. Shirou wasn't sure whether he wanted to fight alongside his adoptive brother, given the man's darkness.

Semiramis made herself known, Deastralizing, while erecting a Bounded Field to prevent eavesdropping, as had become her habit lately. "I've looked over the materials you have acquired for me. They are of a fine quality, at least considering the age of the artifacts. The soil, water and plants you obtained are particularly excellent. I foresee no problems with the ritual I will use to create the Hanging Gardens so far. However, you stated more materials are to come? And that you wish to begin the ritual sooner than we originally planned?"

"Yes. I've had to stagger their arrival to minimise Yggdmillennia's attention," Shirou said. "It's impossible for that to entirely escape their notice, but I can minimise the possibility of a pre-emptive strike this way. However, with Harry's escape, I fear that we are on limited time, so I've moved the ritual starting date forward a day. Is the Bounded Field over the construction site holding up?"

"But of course," Semiramis scoffed. "Once I have obtained the materials, I can begin the ritual at our leisure. I dropped in on Harry and Altera. He's fast asleep, and she's standing vigil. It's rather cute. I noted that you were very careful with your choice of words to him."

"And?"

"Nothing. I'm just astonished at a man of the cloth being so selective with the truth, but given the high stakes…still, have we gained any intelligence on possible Servants on either side?"

"None on our side. Rocco is keeping things close to his chest. As for Yggdmillennia, I believe I have found at least a couple of new bits of information through my own contacts in the Eighth Sacrament. In England, there was a recent robbery of the Black Museum of Scotland Yard. The only thing stolen was a dagger. The main suspect was seen in the company of Hyouma Sagara, a Japanese Magus with known links to Yggdmillennia. Considering that said dagger was believed to be the murder weapon of the serial killer Jack the Ripper…"

"Then it seems that may be Assassin of Black," Semiramis mused. "A petty little psychopath whose main achievement was killing prostitutes and mutilating them."

"Still potentially troublesome," Shirou remarked. "There were also reports of the plans of Doctor Victor Frankenstein's creation being purchased in Switzerland and sent to Romania. Given their legend, a Berserker, perhaps? Still, Vlad Tepes as a Lancer and Avicebron as a Caster are troublesome enough. I hope the Dragon Tooth Warriors you can create within the Hanging Gardens can help counter an army of golems and Homunculi. This is no slight on your ability, Semiramis, just my being prudent."

"I understand, but I take offence all the same," Semiramis said sniffily. "Still, Altera, as a Rider, doubtlessly has more than a few trump cards, and she seems very physically strong for a Rider."

"Oh, she is. Her attributes are fairly highly ranked. Still…something about her concerns me. Her Noble Phantasm, the sword, Photon Ray…I believe it to be a divine construct. Then again, Attila the Hun was said to have claimed the Sword of Mars in life…still, we should be careful around her."

"Agreed. I personally am for controlling her Master with one of my poisons, but I do understand the value of psychological manipulation," Semiramis said. "He does have a strong grudge against Yggdmillennia, and that in itself helps cement his loyalty. Your gamble is risky, but it can pay large dividends."

"That's the point of risky gambles," Shirou said. "It just means we'll have to be careful. But as you say, it can pay large dividends…the biggest of them all…the salvation of humanity…"

**CHAPTER 5 ANNOTATIONS:**

**So, there you have it. Harry and Altera have begun to bond, while Shirou and Semiramis are plotting.**

**Review-answering time! ****LoamyCoffee****: Under the circumstances, she will accept it quite willingly. This story will have her undergo a heel-face turn of sorts too, even if she's nowhere near as moral as Shirou.**

**Treska****: You could say that, though the problem is less to do with Madness Enhancement and more to do with outside influence.**

**1\. Believe it or not, this is a real cave painting that presumably inspired Kinoku Nasu, or else someone else on the staff of ****_Fate/Extella_****. Look up 'Tassili n'Ajjer' on Wikipedia. There'll be a picture of the 'God of Sefar' down in the gallery section of the page.**


	7. Chapter 6: An Ephemeral Period of Peace

**CHAPTER 6:**

**AN EPHEMERAL PERIOD OF PEACE**

Semiramis nodded as Harry finished firing off spells in the basement of the church. "Not bad. While not as strong as more experienced Magi, your spells are considerably more varied than most Magi. It seems the magic on your world is closer in variety to that of the Age of the Gods."

Harry nodded. It had been a few days since he had summoned Altera, and Semiramis, out of curiosity, had asked to see his magic in action. Altera was standing in the corner, watching carefully. "I don't know why, I can't remember, and yet…my magic is definitely different, but…this Homunculus body…"

"Is specifically designed to be a magical powerhouse," Semiramis said, approaching, and gently touching his hand. "That you still have a human lifespan than the shortened one of a Homunculus is astonishing. What's more, you have a number of magecraft spells stored within you. I presume that they were put in there as standard, just in case you were needed to fight instead of just being a battery."

"Yeah. I used one called _Straβe Gehen_ to break open the tank…though I don't know how or why."

Semiramis nodded. "_Straβe Gehen_ literally means 'path open' in German, given what the Grail has taught me. By path, it means a logic path…or a magic circuit path. You basically forced the tank to shatter through an overload of magical energy. I can certainly teach you some other magecraft. Do you know Reinforcement? Structural Analysis?"

Harry frowned, and then realised it was in his mind. "Yes."

"Hmm. They are the basics of the basics, but one should never neglect them. Both have good uses. The problem with magic on this world is that, due to the influence of Gaia, most spells are weakened the more people know how to use them."

"Darnic told me this, as well as why Clock Tower has this thing for family lines. The longer the family's connection to magecraft, the stronger it is. It's actually a thing. If it weren't for Darnic being an evil bastard, I would have happily helped him, though, given how much snobbery and politics are involved. Feels too much like…something I had to deal with in the past," Harry muttered, what little recollection he had of his past slipping through his fingers.

"Hmm. Keep in mind, you'll mostly be a support to your Servant," Semiramis said. "Servants are superhuman entities. Even an Assassin such as I, while the physically weakest class alongside Casters, are still stronger than humans. You could probably beat me in physical combat if you took me by surprise and went all out, but the likelihood is slim even then. Masters generally target other Masters as well as acting as support to their Servants. One thing you should do, above all others, is avoid any attack that may destroy or sever your hand. Because your Command Seals signify your link to your Servant. Use them all up, or else have them removed, and Altera only has as long as her own mana reserves allow her to exist. Of course, killing a Master will do that too, but I get the feeling you have qualms about killing."

"I'll kill Darnic and Celenike, no problem," Harry said grimly, thinking back to the pain they caused via their experiments. "Others, though…"

"I understand. But keep in mind, killing Masters, while not actually in the rules, is generally prudent, if only because they can make a contract with a Servant who has lost their own Master," Semiramis said. "Magi, as Shirou has told you before, are ruthless creatures. I should know, I am a Magus myself."

Harry nodded. Semiramis had been courteous, even nice to him, and he felt that at least some of it was genuine. But she still had this air of being utterly dangerous. "What of the Magi of the Red Faction?"

"They will probably work off-site. You probably will see their Servants more than you see the Masters," Semiramis said. "Most of them will be arriving next week, but there's a space still being filled. Still…it must excite you, does it not? To meet heroes from the past and from myth?"

"It'd be more exciting if it wasn't a fight to the death," Harry snarked, to which Semiramis chuckled.

"Fair enough. You'll forgive me for leaving, but I have duties to attend to, preparations for my Noble Phantasm. Shirou will be back soon."

Harry nodded. Shirou had gone shopping in the town. While Servants didn't need food normally, Harry did, as did Shirou, as he actually had a proper body thanks to the Greater Grail. And the two Servants did like to eat occasionally, to remind themselves of what it was like to be alive. Semiramis Astralized, while Harry and Altera left the basement.

* * *

As it happened, Shirou came in a few minutes later, with a number of shopping bags. Harry helped him put them away, before he made them both lunch, even making Altera some sandwiches. As he brought them to the table, Shirou remarked, "How did you come to be so good at cooking and food preparation?"

"…I don't remember much of my life before Yggdmillennia got me, but I do have some vague notions. I think my relatives used me as a servant, with a lower case 's'."

"…Ah. I see," Shirou said with a nod. He then made a brief prayer, presumably saying Grace in Japanese, before he began eating. "I am fortunate in both my original life and my current one to have had loving family."

"In this life, you said Risei Kotomine adopted you, the former Overseer, right?"

"Yes. He was a good and righteous man," Shirou said, a sad smile touching his lips, seemingly more genuine than his usual more serene smile. "He helped save the Tohsaka family from Darnic's attempt at wiping them out. Of that man, I have nothing bad to say. If he had any faults, it was that he had been involved with some of the darker parts of the Church, such as the Burial Agency, but he was a truly righteous man. Sadly, he was blind to the faults of my brother, Kirei."

"Your brother?"

"…Kirei is a monster, though he himself doesn't truly know it," Shirou said sadly. "He is a hollow man who can only find joy in the suffering of others, and yet, thanks to our father, he has a moral compass, meaning he knows such a thing is a sin. He is thus a conflicted man who may never know peace. He even left his daughter with his in-laws because he knew he was not a good father. I have met her on occasion. Darling Caren is as sharp-tongued as her father, if not more so, but she has a sense of morality, even if at times it can be a bit loose."

"So, what is he doing now?"

"He works for the Burial Agency, just as I did. In truth, I pity him, for being born that way," Shirou said, with a solemn look on his face. "Still, I do love him." He then looked at Altera. "So, Altera…do you have anything you loved in your past life?"

"…Destruction, to my shame," she said. "I wish to enjoy things other than destruction."

"There is no reason why you cannot. As long as the pleasure is not derived from anything sinful, and it is done so in moderation, then I have no problem."

Harry nodded, though he kept to himself that he had been talking to Altera via their link on a nightly basis. It felt like weeks he was in that cavern, in a dream state, and he felt himself warming to her. True, it might be a façade, a masquerade, but he was beginning to feel that her desire to be free of Velber's influence was genuine, though she asked not to discuss this with Shirou, who might take the knowledge badly.

In truth, Altera, in defiance of all expectations of someone who would know only her name as Attila the Hun, or else her nature as Sephyr, the Herald of Velber…was very human. She was surprisingly shy and introverted at times, and eager to learn about new things. She explained that, at times, she could form an avatar for brief periods to explore the outside world, for a few hours at most, so she knew a surprising amount about history and pop culture.

To her, her experiences as Attila the Hun were like a dream. Even though Attila was an embodiment of destruction, she also experienced human things, and Altera wanted more. He spoke of his life to her, and she was fascinated. For some weird reason, he was reminded of a princess in a tower, isolated from the known world, and hungry to see it. Then again, the average fairy tale princess was not an alien superweapon who became Attila the Hun.

"Oh, by the way, I thought Altera might want some normal clothes to walk around in," Shirou said. "I asked her for specifics, and, well…I managed to find them. There's a nearby store that sells custom T-shirts, luckily, and while trade has been struggling for a while, they were glad for my custom. While this town has seen tourists, they usually aren't in the market to buy custom T-shirts."

Altera took the bundle Shirou brought in off the floor, and then smiled. "Thank you." She then left the room.

"What about me?" Harry asked. "I mean, if I want to walk around…"

"Sunglasses, a hat and a bit of hair dye should suffice," Shirou said. "While Yggdmillennia doubtless have familiars on the lookout for you, it's doubtful that they will do so this far afield, and it's more likely they'll try to use a visual identification rather than searching for a magical signature if they were. Sunglasses and a darker hair colour might be enough to throw them off, especially if the familiars have any programming. In any case, it's unlikely that they believe you to be anything more than a rogue Homunculus, and while your mentioning Avicebron using you for the core of a Noble Phantasm is concerning, it'd be less of an expenditure of time and effort to use another Homunculus, so it's unlikely they are actively searching for you, at least by this point. They'd probably be searching more in the area in and around Trifas if they are."

"Is there much to look at around here?"

"Surprisingly, though it's more of a quiet town than a true tourist hotspot. Sighişoara, which is not far from here, is a better known tourist hotspot, given that it was not only a major city in what was then Transylvania, but was also the birthplace of Vlad III(1). Still, it may not be wise to walk abroad so far, unless you have Altera with you, or another Servant. I have been making arrangements with Clock Tower. With the Masters' permission, I will be coordinating the Servants proper, while they do their own investigations. So if you see Servants and not their Masters, don't be alarmed."

Before Harry could muster a reply, Altera re-entered, now dressed in new clothes. He had to admit…they looked good on her. Certainly less revealing than her usual wear. She wore a black miniskirt, and a shirt reading 'Good or Bad Civilisation' on it, over which she wore a black jacket. Instead of looking like some skimpily-dressed barbarian warrior woman out of a fantasy novel, she now wouldn't look out of place in London, looking vaguely punkish. Like Tonks. Huh. That name sounded familiar. He thought of a family of redheads, a girl with bushy hair and a bossy demeanour, a dogfather, a careworn man…but the memories remained elusive. He couldn't see their faces clearly, let alone remember their names.

"It looks good," Harry said to Altera's unasked question.

"Thank you," Altera said, giving him one of her small smiles back.

He knew why she had the slogan on her T-shirt. During their time in the dreamscape, she made jokes about things being either 'Good Civilisation' or 'Bad Civilisation', as her time as Attila the Hun had her infamous as a destroyer of civilisations. It was a bit of a bad joke in poor taste given the death toll she and her followers were responsible for, but still…the joke made him smile a little.

Altera then asked, "Shirou, Semiramis' Noble Phantasm, the one she is working on…what is it?"

"A surprise," Shirou said, with a rather knowing smile. "It will be the biggest trump card of the Red Faction, so I'm not sure that I should tell you, just in case. Of course, when the time actually comes to put it into action, well, for you, it will be a most pleasant surprise. For Yggdmillennia…well, it would be…how do you British put it, Harry? Brown Trousers Time, I believe. In any case, Altera, I'm sure your Noble Phantasms will be a surprise to the enemy as well."

She gave a rather knowing smirk at this. "They will be, indeed…"

**CHAPTER 6 ANNOTATIONS:**

**Just some relationship building. Nothing too spectacular.**

**Review-answering time! ****Sunwolf27****: The version in the Nasuverse pretty much adheres to the primary story about Attila's death. The main story is that Attila drank too much at a feast, and blood vessels in his nose burst, causing him to drown in his own blood. Another claims that his latest wife killed him.**

**LuBu081****: Really? That's what you consider an important question? *raises eyebrow* Not at this stage of their relationship. Their relationship is considerably more serious than that between Altera and Hakuno. Harry knows better than to crawl around her body like a perverted mouse. Then again, Hakuno hasn't been known for their sense…**

**1\. While the wiki claims that Shirou's church is in Sighişoara, it's not made that clear in the anime, and it does beg the question, why didn't Shirou send one of his Servants to deal with Jackie when she was running around? True, she might have reduced the amount of Clock Tower Magi nosing around and thus prevented his secret from getting out, but it might have also exposed him to greater scrutiny before the Hanging Gardens were ready, given that the murders were happening while he was having Semiramis prepare them. And yes, that little tidbit about Vlad Tepes being born there is true…**


	8. Chapter 7: Defying Destrudo

**CHAPTER 7:**

**DEFYING DESTRUDO**

The adaptability of the human psyche was a sometimes frightening thing, Harry reflected as he sat once more in Altera's hand in the dreamscape. Here he was, socialising with an entity who was not only Attila the Hun, but an alien entity who had been sent to Earth to destroy civilisation millennia ago. Said entity was currently a giantess, or rather, a Titaness.

And yet, she held him so gently, almost as if he was a mouse or a bird perched on the palm of her hand, though he would imagine he was more to her than a mere pet. They were going over their plans for the Grail War, as well as what came afterwards.

"I have four Noble Phantasms," Altera said. "Photon Ray, the Sword of Mars, is but one of them, and even then, it can unleash a variety of attacks, all Anti-Army. Comet Drill Photon Ray allows me to charge the power of the sword, before unleashing a frontal attack. Teardrop Photon Ray has me summon the wrath of Mars, or at least the deity that would become Mars. As I had vanquished him, and left him a shadow of his former self, he unleashes his wrath, and indeed, most of the mana expenditure of the attack is to redirect this attack on my foes. Fairy-Snow Photon Ray is an aerial attack that has me scatter energy over the enemy with a delayed detonation. The sword itself is a Divine Construct, hence the power."

"And the other Noble Phantasms?" Harry asked.

Altera smiled, and then gestured with her free hand at the floor of the cavern. A magnificent horse materialised, outfitted for war. "My second Noble Phantasm, my steed, Etzel. Swift and strong, but no Phantasmal Beast. We should be wary if the Rider of Black has a Phantasmal Beast. My third Noble Phantasm is Flagellum Dei. In Latin, it means the Scourge of God. I can summon the Hun hordes I led in life as a spectral army to overwhelm the living. And my fourth…pray I never have cause to use it."

"…Why?"

_And suddenly, they were back in the cage, the chamber deep beneath the Alps where __**Sephyr**__ was imprisoned, the __**White Titan**__ holding him. He was used to this form by now, the screaming primal terror more of a murmur in his mind now. But still…he was unnerved by the sudden transition._

**_BECAUSE IT UNLEASHES MY FORM AS SEPHYR_**_, __**Sephyr**__ said in __**her**__ eerie song of a voice, __**her**__ alien eyes peering at him sadly. __**WHY THE GRAIL HAS SEEN FIT TO GRANT ME THIS AS A NOBLE PHANTASM IN MY SERVANT FORM, I KNOW NOT. BUT I KNOW THAT TO USE IT IS TO RISK FALLING UNDER VELBER'S SWAY ONCE MORE, SO IT SHALL BE A WEAPON OF THE VERY LAST RESORT. YOU WILL NEED TO KEEP YOUR COMMAND SEALS AT THE READY, IN CASE I MYSELF CANNOT RESIST**__._

"I will," _Harry said grimly, his voice sounding oddly small in the vast chamber. Maybe it was due to the magic keeping __**Sephyr**__ imprisoned. Or maybe it was just __**her**__ very __**presence**__ drowning out everything else._

**_Sephyr_**_ smiled down at him. It was a sad smile, like the one Altera often wore when she smiled. __**THANK YOU. KEEP IN MIND, VELBER DOES STILL HAVE A LINK WITH ME, A TENUOUS ONE, BUT…SHOULD IT LEARN OF THE HOLY GRAIL, ASSUMING IT HASN'T ALREADY, IT MAY ASSUME MORE DIRECT CONTROL OF ME. SOMETHING AS POWERFUL AS THE HOLY GRAIL COULD BE A BOON TO HELP IT REMOVE EARTH'S PROTECTION, OR WORSE, DESTROY IT**_.

And then, they were back in the cavern, thankfully. Harry had grown more used to Sephyr's true presence, but it was still unnerving to do so, and Altera recognised this. "…Would destroying Velber outright be better than removing its influence?" Harry asked.

Altera pursed her lips. "I have…communicated with the Greater Grail. We have a link of sorts. The Greater Grail and I have discussed this matter. While it is indeed powerful, the effects may not reach as far as Velber, who may be thousands of light years away."

"Wait, you've communicated with the Greater Grail?" Harry demanded. "How?"

"It's rather easy when one is bored and can only reach certain planes of memetic space."

The voice was musical, and yet oddly flat and mechanical, with a German accent. Harry whirled, to find a young woman with pale skin, white hair, and crimson eyes, wearing a revealing but vaguely ritualistic white and gold outfit standing on the floor of the cavern. Altera, without being bidden, lowered Harry down to the gold-strewn floor of the cavern. "Who are you?"

"I…_was_ Justeaze von Einzbern," the woman said. "I was a Homunculus who was formerly the head of the von Einzbern family, until I sacrificed my being to become the core of the Greater Grail. My intelligence remains as…I believe the modern term would be an AI. An interface for the Greater Grail. I also exist to give the wish to the Magus and Servant who prevails, once enough Servants have fallen in battle. I am also the one responsible for your staying sane, Harry."

"…What?"

"Technically, I am to remain impartial. However, when you came into our reality, I kept an eye on you. I have very little influence outside of the Greater Grail housing my intelligence, or I may have done something. My family have done some…appalling things by the standards of non-Magi, but your vivisection was something I despised. And when Zelretch helped the Makiris, the Tohsakas and my family create the Holy Grail War, he chose the Tohsakas as his apprentices, so to speak, calling my line and the Makiris fundamentally evil. That…stung. That is partly why I helped you remain sane. When Celenike took your body and mind apart, I kept the latter together, erasing or dulling memories where possible, and soothing the pain. It was all I could do. Then, perhaps due to my meddling, your soul transferred from one body to another, an inadvertent application of Heaven's Feel. The Homunculus you were transferred into…your soul merged with his, what little of it there was. There was a touch of destiny to him, I thought. However, you escaped, and it was I who channelled an avatar of Altera into a Servant body."

Harry stared at the woman, her crimson eyes staring back at him impassively. Conflicting emotions warred within him. Anger at having Altera forced upon him by this woman, tampering with his memories…and yet, he also felt gratitude, as he realised he may not have survived Celenike's torture masquerading as experiments without her. Eventually, gratitude won. "…Thanks for keeping me sane," Harry said.

"You are welcome," Justeaze said. "However, because of the transition, your memories were damaged. The most recent ones are still intact. However, you come from another world, hence your different magic. And your memories are still present, just covered by the scar tissue of your damaged soul when it transferred to the Homunculus' body. In any case, the help I can offer you from now on is minimal. I cannot be partial to any one Master or their Servant, and my influence is not that strong outside of my shell. Only when fully primed can the Greater Grail perform the greatest feats of True Magic. That your soul transferred to your current body is a miracle in of itself. You can, of course, wish for to be restored to your former body, and include in the wish that your former body be restored to full health if you wish, or else you can defer such a wish to Altera, given your arrangement to wish for severing her link with Velber on her behalf. Which, I should add, is most wise."

"…You're aware that Shirou's a Ruler?" Harry asked, looking to change the subject.

"Yes. His presence may block the summoning of a proper Ruler in this Grail War. However, I cannot tell you what his intentions are. When he came to me decades ago, there were many desires warring within him. A desire for revenge. A desire for peace. A desire for salvation. And a desire to bring about the revival of my family's True Magic. He could be your greatest foe, or your greatest ally. However, Shirou Amakusa Tokisada is not a truly evil man. But as the cliché goes, the path to Hell is paved with good intentions. Whether you trust him or not is up to you." She then gave a brief curtsey. "I must go now. Do well in the Holy Grail War. And…while I am required to be impartial, given what Darnic has done to my family, I ask that you put paid to him and his ambitions."

"We will," Altera said.

As Justeaze faded away, Harry looked up to Altera. "So, what do we do about Shirou?"

"Keep an eye on him. While I cannot say I trust him or Semiramis, he has revealed a rather big secret about himself, so he may very well be on the level. We will treat him as an ally, but cautiously. If necessary, we will deal with him. But…he has been helpful. Even if he is using us as a means to an end, he has been helpful beyond the need to be manipulative."

"Maybe," Harry said. He agreed with her assessment. While Shirou had his own agenda, and Harry's instincts were muttering about him, the former Ruler Servant had also been rather forthright about issues that he would have been better off keeping secret. And he seemed so genuinely nice. So Altera's plan had merit.

Changing the subject again, he asked, "Do you have any thoughts on what Semiramis' Noble Phantasm may be?"

"Not wholly, but I can make a guess. After all, both Shirou and Semiramis hinted that it needed a long ritual to perform. It will either be some sort of massive summoning, probably of Phantasmal Beasts or some sort of living weapon, or else the creation of some sort of fortress. However, even with the information the Grail has granted me, I cannot say what it is for certain. Noble Phantasms, after all, are not merely weapons, but aspects of the mythos of a Servant. Many can be guessed with ease if a Servant is associated with a famous weapon. Excalibur of King Arthur, Gram of Sigurd, Gaé Bolg of Cú Chulainn, and so on. But other Noble Phantasms may be more obscure. However, it would doubtless be a powerful trump card, given the way they speak of it, as well as the ritual needed for it."

"And then there's the Servants of Yggdmillennia. We know two of them, Vlad the Impaler as Lancer and Avicebron as Caster. But what of the others?"

"I do not know. I'll be curious to see if there are any I recognise, though," Altera said. "I met many who would have become Heroic Spirits, including characters from what became the tale known as the _Nibelungenlied_. If that is true, it may be interesting to see them again."

"Interesting in what way? The cursed sense of the word?"

Altera merely chuckled, gently picking Harry up off the floor and placing him back on the palm of her hand. "While destruction is no longer my primary aim in life, I won't deny I am anticipating a good fight. I am a warrior, after all, not just Velber's puppet. And crossing blades with one I knew in my life as Attila would be interesting. Of course, doing so with other heroes would also be interesting…though there is one I would fear."

"Who?"

"King Arthur," Attila said bluntly. "It was his…her sword that defeated me. Excalibur is far older than Arthur's life."

"Her?"

"Yes. Justeaze mentioned this to me before. Arthur was a woman, Arturia Pendragon, one that history painted as being a man, although apparently Merlin had a hand in concealing her gender. Excalibur is an ancient weapon, a Divine Construct formed during the Age of the Gods in order to destroy threats to this world. True, there are other weapons that I should fear, like Ea, the Sword of Rupture wielded by Gilgamesh, or Gram, the demonic sword wielded by Sigurd. I have met a counterpart of his, Siegfried, the wandering knight of the Netherlands…well, the Netherland Kingdom, which is different to what is known as the Netherlands these days. But Excalibur…I have felt its bite."

"To be fair, you were trying to lay waste to the world, even if you were indoctrinated by Velber," Harry said.

Altera winced. "I know. While my avatar was abroad, I have been to a library multiple times. One interesting concept I came across is the psychological concept of destrudo."

"Destrudo?"

"In Freudian psychoanalysis, you have two opposing forces, urges driving the psyche. Eros and Thanatos. The former is the urge to survive, to create and procreate, while the latter is a destructive urge, whether towards others or the self. The former is fuelled by libido, while the latter is fuelled by what you could call destrudo. Admittedly, I personally think Freud was a fool in many regards. But the concept of destrudo resonated with me, for destruction was all I did before. And while to fight to be free is laudable, I intend to defy my own destrudo."

Harry nodded. He had to admit, despite himself, he and Altera were growing closer. Given what she was, though, he hoped that wasn't a mistake. He hoped that she could defy destrudo, or whatever the hell it was. Whatever Velber had put into her. Because he wasn't sure if anything could stop her if she couldn't defy Velber's will.

Though he would give it a damned good shot…

**CHAPTER 7 ANNOTATIONS:**

**Wow. This one was a bit of a saga. In truth, in the original version of the story, this chapter didn't exist. But I felt that the story was lacking some interaction between Harry and Altera, as well as justification for their following Shirou, even given that they're still not sure about him, so I wrote this in to include between chapters.**

**No numbered annotations this time.**


	9. Chapter 8: Meet the Red Team

**CHAPTER 8:**

**MEET THE RED TEAM**

Altera didn't trust Semiramis to any great degree. For all that she was on good terms with them, as was her Master, Semiramis had a rather untrustworthy air about her. And considering that she was infamous as the first poisoner known to myth and history, well, that was justified.

However, Altera did use her for sparring practise, with Semiramis using magecraft that hurled spiked chains at her. And she was an excellent and devious opponent. It had become part of their daily routine, and in truth, while Altera didn't quite trust her, she still felt a certain camaraderie.

The other Masters of Red would arrive soon, in an hour or so, save for a last minute addition. Kairi Sisigou had been finally hired by Rocco Belfeban to become the Master of Saber, and he would be coming here a couple of days after the others. Altera wondered whether there would be any Servants she recognised amongst the Red Faction, or the Black Faction, for that matter.

After a moment, Semiramis finished firing chains at her. "I believe that is enough for today," she said. "I'm unaccustomed to direct combat, given my class, but I daresay I acquitted myself well."

"You are an Assassin with elements of a Caster," Altera said. "You would not normally fight directly unless you had an overwhelming advantage, such as in a place you have made your territory. This is not it."

"And you are a Rider who fights like a Saber, and certainly has enough strength to emulate one," Semiramis pointed out in her turn. "You are holding back, and not just because of causing damage to either this basement or to me. We're both hiding our trump cards, I am sure. Still, your sword is impressive. A Divine Construct, a relic from the Age of Gods, in the hands of one of the most feared warriors in the world. But you are no god, for which I am grateful."

Altera remained silent. She knew Semiramis was actually a demigoddess herself, but during their time together, Altera had learned that Semiramis despised her goddess mother, Derketo, for abandoning her. Shirou and Semiramis had also learned of Altera's identity. Shirou had promptly made some facetious remark about her being the Scourge of God and not wanting to get whipped. Altera was far from amused.

"In any case, are you looking forward to your little outing?" Semiramis asked.

Altera nodded. She and Harry were agreeing to go out to Sighişoara, to do some sightseeing. They'd done so before, but Altera had asked to make it a date. While in reality, they had only known each other for a couple of weeks, adding the subjective time of their dreamscape meetings actually meant that they had known each other for a few months or so.

By this point, the level of their relationship was not that of Master and Servant, but of allies and, she hoped, friends. While she had many allies in life as Atilla, and certainly a number of friends or at least strong comrades, Altera thought she felt something…more. Perhaps that was wishful thinking. Her ability to comprehend her own emotions was admittedly lower than most humans, partly due to inexperience. While what she felt for Harry was undoubtedly some sort of affection, she wasn't sure whether it was more than just friendly affection, let alone if it was reciprocated. Harry was attracted to her physically, true, but there was an understandable (given both his past experiences and her admission of her nature) wariness that never quite went away. It hurt her, but she understood. Better that she divulged her secrets to him when she did than later, and risk greater hurt and mistrust.

Shirou had encouraged them to have this date while the other Magi arrived, and while Altera couldn't quite shake the feeling that he had an ulterior motive, his reasoning was sound. Harry, despite having a magic that was considerably more versatile than magecraft here, was also young and inexperienced compared to the Magi Clock Tower had retained. If they didn't know his identity, it would help him retain an advantage for a time. In addition, given that he looked like a Musik-created Homunculus, it might arouse unnecessary suspicion.

Still…to go on a date, of all things, or at least something like one…Altera felt a slight flush come to her cheeks. The Huns did have a certain amount of courtship, at least with each other or with those they intended to woo rather than take by force, but the concept of a date was alien to her. The irony that she technically was an alien was not lost on her…

* * *

She really was a beautiful woman, Harry reflected. He honestly didn't know how Attila the Hun could ever have been mistaken for a man, even if it was only the case in this universe. In truth, he wasn't sure how this quiet, shy, solemn and gentle young woman was not only one of the most infamous barbarian warlords to ever live, but also the herald of a destructive alien entity. If it weren't for Altera herself reminding him of this, he would scarcely believe it. Hell, it had come to the point where he was now comfortable speaking with her true form as Sephyr in the dreamscape. Sephyr had her own alien beauty, striking and awe-inspiring.

It didn't mean he dropped his guard around her per se. Given what she had admitted to him, he couldn't afford to, especially if Velber managed to regain enough influence on her. But he felt comfortable around her, and she didn't have any real expectations of him, save to help her win the Grail and remove Velber's influence on her. He'd feel hurt about this had Altera not made an effort to try and cultivate a relationship with him.

He wondered if any other Master had such a rapport with their Servant. Clearly Shirou and Semiramis did. In fact, Harry reckoned they were friends, with the pair of them occasionally sharing a bottle of fine wine. Then again, despite his disquiet with Shirou, Harry felt that the deceptively young priest was a naturally friendly person.

But would anyone in Yggdmillennia? He knew that creepy little shit Roche had a rapport with his Caster, given how enthusiastic he was towards his 'teacher' whenever they discussed things in front of Harry's tank. Fiore and Caules would probably have a good rapport, as they were fairly good natured, he thought. But Darnic? He'd probably fake it. Gordes and Celenike probably couldn't fake it, unless Celenike summoned a Servant every bit as sadistic as she was.

Still, Harry was glad for the rapport he had with Altera, as he reflected while sitting down at a café with her. From what he had gathered from Shirou, to say little of Darnic and his cronies' actions against him, Magi in general were arrogant as hell. They would probably generally treat Servants as little more than familiars, or else attack dogs, not the people they once were. But even with Command Seals, there was no guarantee that a mistreated Servant wouldn't turn on the Master. In fact, Harry intended to keep the Command Seals in reserve in case of Velber's influence making itself known.

After taking a sip of her cup of tea, Altera smiled. "Tea is Good Civilisation."

Harry chuckled. "That it is. Still, I wonder what those people Shirou is meeting with will do, who they'll bring along?" He meant their Servants, but was being careful in case of any eavesdroppers from Yggdmillennia.

"I don't know. I still do not trust the priest, and he still keeps an eye on us." She indicated a nearby pigeon. Harry had been told by Altera that Semiramis had been fed by pigeons from her infancy after being abandoned by her parents, so she used pigeons as her familiars. Whether or not this particular pigeon was Semiramis' familiar or not was irrelevant. It was unlikely they would be able to tell.

Altera had made her feelings about Shirou clear while speaking in the dreamscape. She thought him to be, if not an evil man, then one who might be willing to do anything for what he considered the greater good. Harry sincerely hoped that she was wrong, and she had confessed that she hoped so too. Shirou had, after all, revealed a rather dangerous secret about himself when he had little reason to, the fact that he was a Ruler Servant left over from the Third Holy Grail War in Fuyuki. And he had motive enough to be in the Grail War: revenge.

"Did you ever enjoy moments like this?" Harry asked.

"…Only in hindsight," Altera said softly, sipping gently from her tea. "I only felt alive while fighting, or rather, that's what I desired. And yet, moments like these, moments of quiet pleasure…" Her crimson eyes looked down at her tea pensively. "…I was a fool, clinging to old instincts and impulses. My people did little to discourage them. People blame me for the fall of Rome, and while it is true I hastened its end, it was already weakened and crumbling. All civilisations succumb to entropy if they do not evolve. And Rome did evolve. The Roman Empire became a church that has encompassed much of the world."

Harry nodded. Altera could be surprisingly philosophical when the mood took her. "And you'll evolve too?"

"Of course. Stagnation is Bad Civilisation…"

* * *

They spent a couple of hours out, before finally returning. They were greeted at the door by Semiramis, who smiled. "Welcome back. The other Servants have been summoned. The Masters have gone their separate ways for now. Only one of the other Servants is currently present, specifically Archer. The others have gone exploring. It's perhaps just as well. Both Caster and Berserker are rather troublesome. Lancer is considerably more tolerable, but he wished to walk abroad for now."

They suddenly heard a cool and calm voice come out of the air. "I was merely curious about this era," said Lancer, as he Deastralized, revealing a man dressed in a black bodysuit, open at the chest, which was adorned with gold and jewels seemingly embedded into it. His skin was ghostly pale, as was his hair, and his eyes were icy blue with reptilian slits. He didn't have a truly sinister air as much as an impassive and unnerving one. He looked Altera and Harry up and down. "I am Lancer of Red. You must be Rider and her Master Harry."

"I am Altera," Altera offered. "That is my preferred name. I am better known as Attila."

"The Scourge of God," Lancer said. "I see. I am Karna."

"Who?" Harry asked.

"He comes from the Indian epic known as the _Mahabharata_," Semiramis supplied. "A demigod child of Surya the sun god and Kunti, and the nemesis of his half-brothers, including Arjuna. Despite this, Karna is well-known as a charitable man who merely chose the side of his half-siblings' nemeses out of loyalty."

"Ah. Nice to meet you, then, Karna," Harry said, holding out his hand, which the pale-skinned man took and shook after a moment.

"I hope we will be good allies, Harry," Karna said simply. "Forgive me, but I wish to explore more. By your leave." And with that, he Astralized again.

Semiramis sighed quietly, as she led them back into the church. "He's rather blunt, but he's certainly less trouble than the other Servants, save for Archer. Of course, this is a given with Berserkers, but Spartacus is particularly troublesome. Why Cabik Pentel chose him of all people is beyond me. Spartacus has an obsession with smashing oppressors, and is even harder to reason with than most other Berserkers. And Caster is an annoying and unrepentant ham by the name of William Shakespeare."

Harry blinked. "Wait a moment…Shakespeare qualifies as a Servant?!"

"Yes. He's not much of a Caster as far as I can tell, but he qualifies. In any case, Karna is more impressive, as is Archer. And here she is."

Studying a stained glass image of the Virgin Mary cradling an infant Jesus was an extraordinary figure. Not quite as much as Karna, but certainly striking. She was a young woman dressed in green, her beautiful but stern features framed by a waist-length matted mess of blonde and green hair. Green eyes turned to them curiously. Oddly, she had a pair of cat ears, and a cat-like tail snaked out from beneath her skirt. "…Are these two Rider and her Master? Good afternoon. I am Archer of Red."

"I am Altera. My true name is Attila, but Altera is the name I prefer," Altera said.

She scrutinised Altera carefully, before nodding. "Attila the Hun…very well. I am Atalanta, the Huntress of Arcadia."

Harry shot Altera a look, who sighed. "She was one of the Argonauts who sailed with Jason. She is one of Greek mythology's most accomplished huntresses," the Rider Servant explained.

"Ah, sorry," Harry said, looking sheepish, before proffering his hand. "It'll be good to work with you, Atalanta."

After a moment, the cat-eared huntress took it, giving a slight smile. "You remind me of an old friend, a fellow hunter, Meleager, in manner if not in looks. He was perhaps the best friend I have ever had."

"In a good way?"

"I did say he was a friend," Atalanta said. "Still…I had best go and check on Berserker now. Excuse me." She moved away, Astralizing as she did so.

Shirou then made his own entrance. "So, you've met Archer?"

"And Lancer," Harry said. "Haven't met Caster or Berserker, but…"

"It's perhaps a good thing with Berserker, though Caster is entertaining, even if Semiramis doesn't think so. I believe he was astonished at how his works have persisted into the modern era," Shirou said. "He wasn't writing for posterity, but to put posteriors on theatre seats." He chuckled a little at his joke.

"And the other Masters?"

"Have gone their ways for now. I am keeping the Servants here, but their commands take priority. A couple of them have opted to stay at the site where Semiramis is preparing her Noble Phantasm, given the fortifications that are being developed there, and they are helping with the ritual, which I have decided to begin early. Kairi Sisigou will be arriving before long, and I believe he intends to summon Saber in Bucharest before coming here."

"What about the Black Faction?" Harry asked.

"I don't know when they'll summon the remainder of their Servants, though one of them may be summoning a Servant in Japan before making his way here. Given that the Servant may be an Assassin, well, they may be trouble…"

* * *

"…This is going to be trouble," a young woman said quietly, as she looked down at the slumbering form of a little girl on the bed in a blood-strewn Japanese penthouse. Said girl had a ragged mop of silvery hair, and a pair of scars marring her otherwise cute face. She then looked at the triptych of what looked like crimson tattoos on her hand. "A LOT of trouble…"

**CHAPTER 8 ANNOTATIONS:**

**Well, Harry and Altera are growing closer, and they've met some of the Red Faction. But wait a moment…has Jackie got a new Master? **

**Review-answering time! ****Dragon Man 180****: It's worth pointing out that most of Altera's abilities and backstory actually come from her incarnation in ****_Fate/Extella_**** and ****_Fate/Extella Link_**** rather than ****_Fate/Grand Order_****. I basically shoved the variations of the Photon Ray attack together partly because, as a Rider, she can have more Noble Phantasms than most other Servants.**

**No numbered annotations this time.**


	10. Chapter 9: Kairi and Mordred

**CHAPTER 9:**

**KAIRI AND MORDRED**

Shirou looked a little shamefaced as he spoke to Harry and Altera the next day. "Complications have arisen. A Ruler Servant has been summoned."

"…That's not a bad thing, surely?" Harry asked. "Aren't they meant to be referees in cases like this?"

"True, but…they should have manifested in Romania, like a normal Servant. I have just received notification on the Spirit Board, a Mystic Code that allows the Church to monitor which Servants have been summoned, that Ruler has been summoned, and in an atypical state. In fact, they have been summoned as a Pseudo-Servant."

"A Pseudo-Servant?" Harry tried to keep an air of surprise, as he knew another Ruler would be summoned, thanks to Justeaze's words.

"Yes. A Pseudo-Servant is a Servant who has manifested by possessing a host with enough physical and mystical compatibility. This is probably my fault, I fear. I am, technically, still a Ruler Servant, and I may have interfered with their summoning just by being present," Shirou said with a sheepish smile. Altera peered at him, suspicion on her face, but said nothing. "Still," Shirou continued, "all fifteen Servants have been summoned now. Kairi Sisigou will be in before long. With his blessing, I'd like you to accompany him and Saber as a liaison of sorts, as from what I have heard, he has even more of an independent streak than the other Magi, and I don't think he will work with us like the others are."

Harry nodded to himself. He had spent some time getting to know the other Red Faction Servants. Of them, he liked Karna and Atalanta most. The bulky and musclebound Spartacus was hard to speak to, as almost every sentence revolved around overthrowing oppressors with his love, or something along similar lines. Shakespeare was more pleasant, but Harry and Altera were annoyed with his tendency to quote himself loudly and hammily.

Ironically, it was the two more solitary Servants Harry and Altera got along best with. Karna, however, did tend to speak his mind in a blunt manner, and didn't like small talk. Atalanta was better, and had a real sisterly vibe to her that put Harry at ease once she let some of her sternness go. She had been impressed by his courtesy, and considered him to be better than most men of her time. Learning of his past also helped, and the huntress was perhaps the most candid about her past, well, save for Shakespeare.

Still, the huntress often preferred her own company, and she wasn't present at the moment. "Do we go and find Ruler?" Altera asked.

"No. A Ruler in these circumstances is meant to be neutral. If you stumble across them, then fine, though I'd appreciate it if you kept the fact that I'm a Ruler secret if you did meet them, or Kairi Sisigou for that matter. However, while the rules state that Ruler is not to be attacked, I fear that one of the other Magi won't appreciate having one peering over their shoulder. Feend vor Sembren was complaining about it most vociferously the last time we met."

Harry frowned. An odd thing to bring up. However, the door to the church opened, and there was a knocking. "Hey. I'm here," spoke a gruff voice.

Harry turned to face the newcomer, a burly bear of a man with leonine features, his eyes hidden behind sunglasses, his shoulder-length mane of tangled hair and rough beard putting Harry in mind of a lion. His clothes made him vaguely look like an outlaw of some kind. This, then, was Kairi Sisigou. Harry remembered what Shirou had spoken of him. A mercenary necromancer, albeit someone who, while a pragmatist and ruthless, was apparently a decent sort.

The man ambled up to Harry, Altera and Shirou, and Harry noted the scars marring part of his face, like something had clawed at his face. "…So, you must be the supervisor," Kairi said, looking at Shirou. "Shirou…Kotomine, Rocco told me."

"Indeed I am, Kairi Sisigou," Shirou said with his usual pleasant smile. "Allow me to introduce these two. This is Harry Potter, the young mage that got caught up in this thanks to Yggdmillennia's machinations."

"He looks like a Musik Homunculus," Kairi said. "Rocco warned me about that, said there's a long story behind that."

"**_He_** is standing right here," Harry groused pointedly.

"Sorry," Kairi said, before proffering his hand, which Harry took. "I was told you're the Master of Rider? Is this her?"

"I am indeed Rider of Red," Altera said. "I am Altera. History knows me better as Attila the Hun."

"…Really? Huh. Then again, Saber…never mind."

As if on cue, an armoured figure appeared next to Kairi. Harry had to admit, the armour was quite intimidating, with a horned helmet that looked vaguely demonic. However, the figure was also short. As Kairi made to rebuke the figure, it growled, "Something's not quite right." Harry blinked. The voice could have been a teenaged boy's…or a girl's or woman's, high pitched and rough, the helmet reverberating it oddly. What's more, she seemed to have a British accent. He also noticed that Saber, presumably who this was, was currently looking not at them, but rather, at Shirou.

"You are Saber?" Altera asked.

"Yeah. What's it to you?" growled Saber. Harry was now increasingly sure that Saber was a girl, maybe his age or a bit younger. Then, she turned his helmeted head to him, and looked him up and down. "…So you're a runaway Homunculus, huh?" she asked, her voice a little softer, even sympathetic. "Tough break. My Master said something about you getting away from Yggdmillennia or something."

"It's a long story…"

* * *

Harry only listened to Shirou's briefing, after he introduced Semiramis, with half an ear. He just watched Kairi and Saber. Both seemed wary, the latter more than the former, with Saber seemingly glaring at Semiramis from beneath her helmet. After that, Shirou said, "I can, if you wish, bring you to where we have a couple of the other Masters who'd be willing to work with you, but I believe you'd be more willing to work independently. So I suggest a compromise, if you're willing to take it. Harry and Rider will accompany you as…liaisons of sorts. This is enemy territory, and there is safety in numbers, as the cliché goes."

Saber and Kairi looked at each other, and then at Harry and Altera. They then looked at each other again, before Kairi said, "Okay, we'll choose that option."

"As long as they don't slow me down," Saber said. "Then again, I don't think Rider will. Dunno about her Master."

"Bite me," Harry snarked.

"Careful what you say, I might do that," Saber retorted. It sounded like a threat more than anything, albeit a light-hearted one.

"I'll leave you a means to contact me," Kairi said to Shirou, before he looked at Harry. "If you're coming with us, then come on…"

* * *

As they walked through the town, Kairi seemed to be frowning as he mentally conversed with a now-Astralized Saber. Soon afterwards, however, Saber Deastralized while in an alley, and then removed her armour. Apparently she wanted to go clothes shopping, and wanted something that could fit in better. Thankfully, there was a clothing shop nearby. Kairi warned them, just before then, to not call Saber a woman or a girl. She apparently threatened him with her sword when he did so.

Saber turned out to be maybe Harry's age or a little younger, a compact, athletic body with a fairly understated bust. Her face was an androgynous, wild beauty, framed by messy golden blond hair done up in a ponytail. Her emerald eyes reminded Harry so much of his own. However, her clothing was skimpy, consisting of little more than leggings, sleeves, a breast band, and cloth draped over her groin and rear. Then again, Altera's clothes were even skimpier, though she at least looked older.

Her chosen clothing wasn't much better, but it looked modern at least, with daisy duke jeans, a tube top, and a leather jacket making her look like a rebellious teen. Still, she fit in with Kairi's outlaw look, and Altera's punkish look. Harry felt a bit like the odd one out, with his hat, sunglasses, and rather conservative clothing.

"So, what's your story?" Saber asked.

Harry looked at Saber. "What? I've only known you for a little while."

"Yeah, so? Look, the priest suggested you come with us, right? I don't like the stink of that Semiramis bitch. She's too much like my mother."

Harry frowned. "She's a bit evil and sinister-looking, but she's been good enough to us, though I'm not sure we trust her. How can we trust you?"

"Look, how about a compromise, right? I already know your Rider's name, right? Now, I didn't want the priest or that bitch to figure out my identity, so I wore my armour. It's a Noble Phantasm that prevents my identity from being discerned unless I volunteer it or stop wearing it. But while my name is pretty infamous, if I tell you it, will you tell me your story?"

Harry looked at Altera, before shrugging. She was Attila the Hun, and a destructive alien. "Very well," Altera said. "Who are you?"

"Mordred Pendragon, the true and rightful heir to King Arthur Pendragon," Saber declared proudly.

Harry stared, coming to a halt. "Mordred. You're Mordred? But…you're…"

"What?" Mordred asked, her tone dangerous, her eyes narrowing.

"…Too nice," Harry said, perhaps a bit lamely. True, she seemed rough around the edges, but this girl seemed more like a rambunctious and petulant teenager, not one of the most infamous figures in Arthurian myth.

Mordred stared at him, before she roared with laughter. "I can't be Mordred because I'm too nice?! Can you believe this guy, Master?! Bwa ha ha ha!"

"But Mordred was a brutal knight, one who brought down Camelot and killed King Arthur! He was a monster, and yet, you're…well, you're pretty normal by comparison!" Harry protested.

Mordred shot him a look, her mirth gone as if a switch had been flicked. "Yeah, well, you don't know anything about what things were like about Father. I didn't betray him because I wanted to. I betrayed him because when he learned my parentage, he refused to acknowledge me as my heir, despite all I had done for him under his service when neither of us knew, despite the fact that his blood ran through my veins." She looked away. "You don't know anything."

Harry was struck by the truth in that statement. He didn't know. Mordred, in his mind, was a vicious, rampaging monster. And yet, he saw a teenager filled with hurt rather than malice. In fact, he saw a reflection of himself, like he had been recently, filled with anger and hurt due to being kept in the dark, even by his own friends.

On an impulse, he gently hugged her. Mordred stiffened in his embrace, before she snapped, "Oi, what're you doing?"

"…I know what it's like to be lonely, Mordred. I know what it's like to be angry when people keep secrets from you. I can't remember everything about my past, but I remember that much. I may not know everything about your life, but I think I know what some of it might have been like."

"…Yeah, well, that doesn't mean you can just hug me out of the blue like that, okay?!" Mordred snapped in annoyance.

"Yes, it does," Altera said, with a smirk. "Hugs are Good Civilisation."

Kairi shot Harry a look. "…Good civilisation?" he asked, a little incredulously.

"Long story," Harry said, as he released Mordred, who looked embarrassed by the hug, and a little miffed. And yet, she also looked conflicted. And to be frank, so was he. Mordred was an infamous traitor in Arthurian myth, and yet, all he saw was someone a little younger than him, filled with hurt. And if Mordred was telling the truth, maybe it wasn't because of ambition, but because someone she loved hurt her.

"Mordred," Harry said, getting the girl's attention. "My Servant is Attila the Hun, responsible for more deaths than you were, and probably for less good reason. But I trust her. And…I'm going to trust you. As long as you don't backstab us, we're fine. Same goes for your Master."

"And we only have one wish to make that takes priority, my own," Altera said. "If you wish, and we are able to, you may have the other wish. Which of you gets it is up to you two."

Mordred and Kairi shared a look, before the former shrugged. "What, you don't have a wish?" Kairi asked.

"I have two wishes," Harry said. "But the first one, putting paid to Darnic and Celenike, we can do during the Grail War. The second…well, if I can't get my old body back, it happens."

"…Old body? Okay, sounds like the abridged version of a very long story," Kairi said. "Pretty unbelievable, but I've experienced worse and stranger shit. Besides, we're with the likes of Mordred and Attila the Hun, who are both…" Mordred's growl cut him off, before he added, rather lamely, "A bit different to how history painted them."

"…Lacking a Y chromosome?" Harry asked.

"Oi!" Mordred snapped. "The Grail told me what that means!"

"So? What's wrong with being a warrior woman?" Harry retorted. "Just because you are a woman doesn't mean you can't be strong."

"You're skating on thin ice," Mordred growled, though she kept from attacking them when Altera met her eyes with her own crimson glare.

"I'm trying to be nice!" Harry snapped back. "I don't care if you're a bloody girl, as long as you can defeat the bloody enemy! Is that good enough for you?!"

She glared back, before scoffing. "Yeah, if you're gonna be pissy about it. But you dare think I can't be a knight 'cause of that, and I will fucking forcefeed you your own dick. Understood? That being said, you've got more balls than I thought, talking to me like that, and I can dig that. You've been through some shit, haven't you? I mean, beyond ending up in a Homunculus body in the first place?"

"Yeah…I have…" And wasn't that an understatement? Still, he hoped he wouldn't regret this…

**CHAPTER 9 ANNOTATIONS:**

**He won't.**

**No numbered annotations this time.**


	11. Chapter 10: An Unexpected Reunion

**CHAPTER 10:**

**AN UNEXPECTED REUNION**

"…Is this wise? If what that…poor excuse of a man said about the Grail War is true, then we're now in the middle of a warzone."

In answer to the older man's question, a teenaged girl pinched the bridge of her nose. "I know. But Sagara said that someone answering to Harry's name and description was being experimented on by Yggdmillennia. We need to find him. Besides…" She looked at the little girl sitting in the lap of a young woman with pink hair. Said little girl had silver hair cut in a short, ragged bob, a pair of scars marring an otherwise cute face, and golden eyes. Thankfully, she wasn't dressed the same way they found her, being now dressed in a hoodie and trousers. "We're kind of stuck in this thing. Not that I'm happy about it."

"She's rather cute, though," another girl said airily. "Especially for a gestalt of souls that became Britain's most infamous serial killer."

"Yeah. Who would have known that Jack the Ripper was a little girl?" said another older man. "But…do you think we'll be able to find Harry?"

"I don't know. But we'll patrol the streets of Trifas soon," the first teenaged girl said. "And if someone from Yggdmillennia comes after us…we'll have to…"

There was a sudden sound of singing, and a magnificent flame-coloured bird appeared, appropriately heralded by a ball of flames. "…Did you find him?" the bushy-haired girl asked. The bird nodded, but then began to tap his beak against a nearby wall.

The bushy-haired girl wrote down letters, muttering, "Thank goodness I learned Morse code…or that you know it." After the bird finished tapping on the wall, she read out, "_Harry here but in Homunculus body. Definitely him. Magic unmistakeable. Going into Trifas, accompanied by Saber, Rider, and a Magus._"

The pink-haired woman frowned. "And simply extracting him with our feathered friend here might have the Servants attack. So, how do we extract him?"

"We can do it, Mummy," the silver-haired girl chirped. "You give us one of those Portkey thingies, and we can get him out of there, along with the others if they're nice enough."

One of the men said grimly, "Then we'd better hope that either the old goat was wrong, or that the you know what died. We just found him. We don't want to lose him again…"

* * *

Harry didn't feel at all at ease when Kairi decided to go through Trifas. The necromancer was gauging the reaction of Yggdmillennia, and only Harry's disguise helped him feel at ease. That, and the presence of Altera. For all that he had only known Kairi for a few hours, he trusted him more than…well, than he trusted Shirou. And he _wanted_ to trust Shirou, but there was something about Shirou that wasn't quite right. He didn't know what that was, exactly, only that there was some sort of instinct niggling at him now. Kairi, however, was a fairly straightforward man, and so too was Mordred, oddly enough.

"So, you're missing a lot of your memories, due to whatever Yggdmillennia did to you that caused you to switch bodies?" Kairi asked as they walked through the streets of Trifas. "Sounds like Heaven's Feel to me, or something like that. I wouldn't go spreading it around. A lot of Magi would jump at the chance to strap you to a table and figure out how it happened. You'd be lucky if only knives got involved."

"You wouldn't?" Harry asked.

"Not my field. Necromancy doesn't even really tap into Heaven's Feel, not our version. True, we can summon spirits, question them, but we can't bring back the dead. Even using the Grail to bring forth Servants is a massive feat, though it's not a full version of Heaven's Feel. You need the Grail to be primed for it to perform any real feat of True Magic. Besides…I'm a mercenary. I've sometimes had to kill Magi who go too far in pursuing Akasha. Not as many as old Kiritsugu Emiya, but the Magus Killer was the go-to guy for dealing with rogue Magi."

"That is good," Altera said. "I would prefer not to kill an ally in defence of my Master. The town is quiet. Too quiet. The inhabitants are staying indoors. And…I believe some of Yggdmillennia's forces are being mobilised. I can hear them."

"I can't hear anything," Mordred said. "And I can't sense any Servants."

"No Servants," Altera said. "But…" She leaned over and placed a hand on a nearby wall, concentrating. "…I can feel small tremors. Heavy footfalls. Too big to be human or Homunculus, I couldn't feel them unless they were all running in unison. Not a herd of animals like horses either. Too slow and ponderous. Golems. Avicebron is the Caster of Black, a famous golem-maker. They're preparing an attack with golems at least."

"Dammit," Mordred muttered. "And with my Noble Phantasm, I can't really cut loose without getting subjects in the way. What about you, Rider?"

"I have one attack that can be directed, as long as we are on a long enough thoroughfare," Altera said. "And another that won't have as much potential for collateral damage."

"Right. As much as it galls me to say it, you do the main damage, I'll clean up the trash," Mordred said. "Just don't go stealing all the kills, okay?"

A faint smile touched Altera's lips. "I am destruction incarnate, Saber. You would be hard pressed to keep up."

"…Those are fighting words!" Mordred grinned.

* * *

In the throne room of the Yggdmillennia citadel, the Servants were gathered to watch the probing attack against this brazen quartet of Servants and Masters. So too were some of the Masters, including Gordes. But as the feed relayed from one of Avicebron's bird-like golems focused on the Servants, Saber of Black, aka Siegfried, frowned. "What is it, Saber?" Gordes snapped irritably. "You have my leave to speak."

The silver-haired, tan-skinned Servant nodded. "Thank you. I recognise Rider of Red. I once travelled to the court of a certain king. Only once, mind you(1). However, that king was a woman, the very woman you see on the screen."

"And who is it?" Darnic asked.

Siegfried looked at Gordes, who considered it. He had Siegfried withhold his name earlier, to try and gain an advantage despite an agreement by Yggdmillennia to share the names of their Servants. However, divulging the identity of Rider of Red could give clues as to his identity. Of course, knowing the name of an enemy Servant took priority, so Gordes, in annoyance, said, "Tell them her name, Saber."

Siegfried nodded his thanks, before he said, "Rider of Red is Attila the Hun, the Scourge of God."

"Attila the Hun was a woman?" scoffed Celenike.

"This coming from a woman whose Rider is a very convincing crossdresser?" Darnic observed with a raised eyebrow. "And don't forget, Berserker, aka Frankenstein's Monster, is considered a man in Mary Shelley's work."

"Though I have to wonder, Saber, if you know Rider, can you beat her?" Lancer of Black, aka Vlad Tepes, asked.

"I never encountered her in battle, my lord," Siegfried said. "However, Attila, or rather, Altera, was a feared warrior with good reason. In addition, as a Rider, she is in possession of multiple Noble Phantasms, and I can only guess at one, the Sword of Mars. Sabers may be considered the most strongest class…but of those two Servants, Altera is the most dangerous."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"I cannot answer a question that I do not know the answer to," Siegfried said. "However, we shall soon see…"

* * *

Deep within the Yggdmillennia citadel, the body of Harry Potter slumbered. But a smirk touched its lips, a thin, reptilian smirk. Soon, it would claim the Holy Grail for its own. And then, the domination of not only this world, but every other, would begin…

* * *

As Altera predicted, golems soon appeared behind them, cutting off their escape. A squad of Homunculi appeared in front of them, armed with halberds, while more appeared on the rooftops, aiming bows at them. Mordred chuckled. "So, all of us were bait, trying to get a rise out of these idiots? Master, you're insane, but in a good way."

Kairi rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses, but turned to Harry. "Stick by me. Don't get in the way. I don't know how good your battle magic is, so…"

"I usually use Stunners. They seemed to work on these."

"Well…you help out, okay? Anyway…Saber, Rider, handle the golems. I think we can handle the Homunculi."

Altera smirked, before materialising her battle outfit and the Sword of Mars, before raising it to the sky. A column of scintillating light burst forth from it, before she seemed to rise into the sky, rainbow wings seemingly forming from her back, like auroras shaped into angelic wings. "Star of Tears, lights raining down from the sky…" she intoned, before readying her now glowing sword. "**_FAIRY SNOW PHOTON RAY!_**"

With that, she flew briefly over the golems' heads, motes of light raining down on them, before she turned around, and then flew back over them, landing gracefully where she took off from. "Scatter like snow," she murmured, and the golems seemed to disintegrate into motes of light, just like the ones that touched them.

Harry, Kairi and Mordred all gaped at her. So too did the Homunculi. "…She can fucking _fly?_" Mordred muttered in a mixture of disbelief, anger and envy. "Oh, that is so fucking _unfair_…and you stole all my kills! I was so ready to take down those golems like a boss!"

"Jealousy is Bad Civilisation," Altera snarked at Mordred, before she turned back to the Homunculi. The Homunculi seemed about to attack…until a thick fog seemed to envelop the area. No, not a mere fog…it was more like a smog, thick and mephitic.

As they heard the Homunculi begin to cough and choke, Kairi frowned. "That's weird…this fog isn't natural…and while it's affecting those Homunculi, it isn't affecting us."

There was a sudden childish giggling. "That's because we can make it affect only those we want it to, silly." Then, a diminutive form scurried out of the smog. It looked like a girl, not even in her teens, wearing a hoodie and trousers. Silvery hair framed her face in a rough bob, and said face was cute, albeit marred by a couple of noticeable scars. Golden eyes shone in the dim light. "Hi. We're Assassin. We were going to be Assassin of Black, but, well, Mummy's got pink hair, so…are we Assassin of Pink now? Listen, we were sent here by Mummy to help you guys. Particularly you." She pointed at Harry. "You're Harry Potter, aren't you?"

Altera swiftly interposed herself between Harry and Assassin. "How do you know that name?"

"Not telling. Mummy and her friends will tell you…but come with us if you want to live. Oh, and by the way…she told us to tell you…_I solemnly swear I am up to no good_."

Harry blinked. The words struck a chord, and he muttered, involuntarily, "Mischief managed. But why do I…?" He shook his head and looked at the others. "I think we can trust her for now."

"An Assassin?" Mordred snarled. "And one who is Assassin of Black?"

"Shirou said that Assassin of Black was being summoned in Japan, not in Romania," Harry said. "Besides, those words…I know those words. They belong to people I trusted, I am sure."

"Then follow us," Assassin said, before she scampered away, the quartet soon following through the now smogbound streets of Trifas.

They soon ended up in an alley. Assassin then pulled out a rope from a pile of detritus. "Okay. Mummy said that by holding this, it can take us all home. She called it…"

"…A Portkey," Harry finished for her, not knowing why he remembered it. "Rider, Kairi, Saber, hold onto it." Reluctantly, they did so, as did Harry.

"Okay…Mischief Managed!" chirped Assassin. And suddenly, a disconcertingly familiar sensation of a hook digging into his navel occurred…

* * *

…And then, they were somewhere else. Altera and Mordred kept their feet, but Altera muttered, a little queasily, "Whatever Portkeys are, they are Bad Civilisation."

"Suck it up, Rider," Mordred said. "I've had worse." She still looked nauseous.

Kairi gagged briefly, while Harry…he just emptied his stomach onto the carpet. "Ugh…I don't remember eating carrot," he muttered, as his Servant helped him straighten up. But when he saw those present, he froze.

Two older men. One young woman with bubblegum pink hair and a punkish look. Two girls about his age, one with blonde hair and a dotty demeanour, the other with bushy hair and a more serious demeanour. All maddeningly familiar…and most of them pointing what looked like magic wands at him. "…Harry?" the bushy haired girl asked.

"How do you know that name?" Harry asked, before he blinked. That face…while a little older, and more careworn…it was like a key in a lock within his mind, and suddenly, he whispered, just as the gate opened, "…Hermione?"

And then, the floodgates opened, and he began to drown within a deluge of memories…

**CHAPTER 10 ANNOTATIONS:**

**Oh dear. A reunion has been made, but at what cost to Harry's sanity?**

**Review-answering time! ****Gabriel Herrol****: She still has the trump card of her Sephyr form, and even her opponents cannot discern all her other Noble Phantasms.**

**CelestialGodSlayer16****: There's a few reasons for that. When I conceived the NPs some months ago in discussion with Arawn D Draven, that event hadn't come out for ****_Fate/Grand Order_****. Well, in English, anyway, but I didn't know the details, story-wise, for that event, so as adorable as Altera was, I couldn't justify that. Having played the event, I can't justify it now, as the sheep seems to be more related to the Babylonian deities rather than Altera. Zerco is provided to her by a Babylonian deity, after all.**

**Perhaps more pertinently, the Huns were noted for being ****_horseback warriors_****. So, giving her a horse was logical. And I've already given her a lot of NPs already.**

**Dragon Man 180****: Ugh, I wish I thought of that. Though I see Altera actually preferring ****_Not Your Kind of People_**** by Garbage. And yes, that's a fun image, seeing Mordred and Altera start a bar brawl because someone either groped them, or made fun of their busts.**

**1\. I recently purchased a copy of the ****_Nibelungenlied_****, and it is stated (even if it's an addition to the original poem) that Etzel (aka Attila) and Siegfried did meet once.**


	12. Chapter 11: Recovery

**CHAPTER 11:**

**RECOVERY**

It was about an hour later. Kairi peered at the gathered wizards and witches from behind his sunglasses. They were in a rented house in Târgu Mureş, a fairly snazzy one considering. They'd gotten through a rather lengthy explanation which sounded downright insane. And yet…it still made too much goddamned sense. "Okay, so…you lot are mages from a world where magic is a bit closer to that of the Age of the Gods, though you still seclude yourselves. Harry was a famous figure on your world, only, he ended up going through some sort of portal, and ended up in this world. You've been fighting a war against some warlock, and your old leader only now bothers to get off his arse to try and find Harry?"

"He's not here at the moment. He's currently tracking down what kept Voldemort alive," Remus Lupin said. "I checked Harry before Hermione and Rider got him to bed. Thankfully, there's nothing left in his scar…well, he doesn't have a scar anymore in that body, but still…"

"Yeah. Merlin's saggy nutsack, those bastards in Yggdmillennia did a number on him," Sirius muttered, only for Tonks, the punky-looking woman, to pinch his hand. "Ow! What was that for, Dora?"

"Mind your language in front of Assassin, Sirius!" Tonks snapped.

"It's okay, Mummy, we've heard worse on the streets of London," Assassin said, from where she was perched, on the lap of the Lovegood girl. "We just won't repeat it."

"Anyway, Merlin's nutsack wasn't saggy," Mordred muttered. "Too much of a pretty boy."

"You knew Merlin?" Remus asked. "Are you from Arthurian legend?"

Mordred winced at letting things slip, while Kairi just said, "Look, that doesn't really matter. Do you know anything about Clock Tower or the Holy Grail War or Yggdmillennia, beyond what Hyouma Sagara told you? How did you end up with Assassin of Black anyway?"

"It's a long story," Tonks said. "We actually first ended up in London. Some guy called Zelretch explained the bare bones to us, and then suggested we find Sagara in Fuyuki to learn more. We caught him just as he was trying to kill a prostitute called Reika Rikudou with a dagger that supposedly belonged to Assassin in life. But…Assassin latched onto my magic. She disabled Sagara, and we interrogated him. We left him and Reika with Zelretch, and headed here. Sagara said he'd heard of Harry being experimented upon by Yggdmillennia, but that he'd died, and one of the Homunculi that had been experimented upon with material from Harry escaped."

"I'm not surprised he's ended up with a Servant, too," Sirius said. "Potter Luck's infamously variable, though he's got quite a hot one. He's what, eighteen now? He was nearly seventeen when he went through the Veil."

"But why did he have such a bad reaction to seeing us?" Tonks asked.

"I think I can guess," Kairi said. "Soul transfer here is one of the True Magics, Heaven's Feel. The experiments done to it could have done an imperfect form of it, damaging his memories. He seemed to have fragmentary memories of his time at Yggdmillennia, but few before he ended up there. So…when his memories came back…"

* * *

"…It caused this," Altera observed to Hermione, as Harry lay, catatonic, in the bed.

Hermione pursed her lips in concern and thought. "…And just when we found him. Do you think he can recover?"

"While traumatic, Harry has been through worse, I daresay," Altera said. "I have faith that he will recover. He is strong enough to accept me for who and what I am. However, the trauma of remembrance has affected him. If we are lucky, he remembers little of his torture at the hands of Yggdmillennia. His main tormentor was a woman by the name of Celenike."

"Yes, Sagara talked about her. The way he described her, she sounded like a slightly more rational Bellatrix Lestrange," Hermione muttered. "Thankfully, Voldemort is dead…for now. Dumbledore and the others are dealing with what's keeping him from passing on completely, while we volunteered to come to this world to find him. We didn't even realise he was alive until Gringotts confirmed it. And transdimensional travel is far from easy. It's a True Magic here, and even in our world, it's hard." She then stood, and turned to Altera. "So, I need to know…are you on our side?"

"I am on Harry's side. If you are his friends and allies, then yes, it follows that I am on your side. I am sure Kairi and Saber would be willing to help as well. However, I do not believe we can trust the rest of the Red Faction, not wholly."

"Yes, you mentioned that priest…only, he's actually a Ruler Servant, Shirou Amakusa Tokisada," Hermione mused. "Harry was…well, suspicious of a lot of people during his last year at Hogwarts. Given how his memories were scrambled, that must be why he showed any trust in him."

"Do not misunderstand me. I believe Shirou to be a righteous man. But I also believe he has a hidden agenda," Altera said. "We have seen no other Masters from the Red Faction aside from Kairi and Shirou, only the Servants."

Hermione nodded. "And what Servants they are. I admittedly don't know that much about Semiramis or Karna, but my name comes from Shakespeare's works, I once watched the Stanley Kubrick film about Spartacus' rebellion, and reading about the Argonauts was one of my favourite Greek myths. Though I have to ask…who are you?"

Altera hesitated. Should she say anything? Eventually, for now, she said, "My preferred name is Altera. History knows me by another, more infamous name, one that I do not like. In addition, I have caused the deaths of millions. These, in retrospect, I regret, if only because I knew of no other urge than that of destruction. Many of those, admittedly, were due to my being controlled by another power, but others were done in my more famous life. Harry accepted me in time, and my wish is to remove that which compels me to destruction. Does that satisfy you?"

Hermione considered her, before nodding. "For now. But what do you mean, the deaths of millions? And under control by another power?"

"If Harry trusts you enough to tell you, then I will let him. Assuming he recovers. However, let me make this very clear. As long as you remain his friend and ally, then you have nothing to fear from me…as long as I remain free from outside influence. In any case, another thing we should do is attempt to find Ruler, the one summoned for this Grail War. While he or she would in all likelihood need to be neutral, it does not mean either side won't try to suborn or even kill them. We may not be able to count on them as an ally all the time, but establishing goodwill may help."

Suddenly, Harry stirred in the bed, his mismatched eyes flickering open. "Oh…that was extremely painful and unpleasant. Then again, that's par for the coOOORRRFFFK!"

He went to vomit again, but Hermione had the forethought to transform a small bin into a bucket, which she promptly brought up to his mouth. "…Ugh, the aftertaste…" Harry complained, before he looked over at Hermione. "…Hermione…so I wasn't…you came to find me…"

"You remember me, Harry?"

"Of course I do. I remember everything now…well, mostly. I think my mind's discarded most of what happened when that bitch Celenike and that fat bastard Gordes experimented on me," Harry said, wiping his mouth. "I'm surprised you believe it's me."

"Fawkes tracked your magic, and managed to find you," Hermione said. "He's how we got here. We didn't want to use him to get just you, in case something went wrong, and besides, we thought we might reach out to Kairi and Saber as well. I sent Fawkes back home with a message to Dumbledore. Long story short, the dark magic in your scar's gone, and dealing with that was part of the reason we came here, though obviously, the biggest reason was to rescue you. Hyouma Sagara said you had been experimented on by Yggdmillennia. Altera and Kairi told us a bit about what's going on, but…"

"Hermione…what about the others? I know it's been a little over a year since the Department of Mysteries, at least here," Harry said. "And the last I saw you, Dolohov had managed to curse you."

"He did. I barely survived. So too did Ron. George and Percy are dead. So is Ginny and Neville. With you gone, Voldemort began to act more openly. Dumbledore managed to kill him, but it was only temporary, as Voldemort has these things keeping him alive. I don't know all the details, Dumbledore never shared them, claiming it was better, just in case a Death Eater or even Voldemort himself used Legilimency on us. In truth…a lot of us lost faith in him since you went through the Veil. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that we learned you were still alive. Oh…how did we rescue Sirius at the end of our Third Year?"

"On Buckbeak. Well, after using a Time Turner, anyway," Harry said. "Hermione…I think we should swap stories…"

* * *

After hearing Hermione's story, Harry put his face in his hands. He was angry at himself, and at Dumbledore. That Hermione heard there was a prophecy around him and Voldemort from the old man just sickened him. Harry's respect for him just crumbled away. However, Hermione was here, and hopefully, things would be better.

He eventually disclosed Altera's identity to Hermione, after she agreed to divulge Assassin's. That little girl was Jack the Ripper, only, her killings were not out of any malice, but an alien desire for love and warmth, to go back to the womb. A gestalt of the souls of children who died on the streets of Victorian London, as well as the vestigial souls of foetuses, aborted by back-alley doctors paid by the prostitutes of the time.

He, in turn, with permission from Altera, divulged her past. And Hermione, to her credit, listened, and didn't jump to conclusions. It seemed that the past year had changed her, and at least that part of said changes was for the better.

"…I'll be honest," Hermione said. "I don't like this situation one bit. Even if you mean well, Altera, and want to make up for what you did as Attila the Hun and Sephyr, the fact remains that there's still a possibility for Velber to take control of you. In addition, there's Yggdmillennia to consider. We may have three Servants on our side, but Yggdmillennia have six. And if Vlad the Impaler is empowered by being on his native soil…"

"There's also Shirou to consider," Harry pointed out. "He allowed me to accompany Kairi. I can't be sure he's our enemy, but…now that I have my memories back, there's something about him that reminds me a little too much of Dumbledore. Like he's the only one who knows what's best for everyone. Don't get me wrong, he seems to be a genuinely nice and decent guy…and yet…why haven't we seen any more of the Red Faction? He probably sent us with Kairi and Saber to ensure I don't find out what happened."

"So why not subject you to whatever he did to the Red Faction?" Hermione asked.

"…When I was there, I saw that Shirou had considerable regard and sympathy for Harry," Altera said. "It was as if Harry was a little brother. I believe it to be genuine. Shirou may be our enemy, but I do not believe it to be out of malice as such as we are competitors for his own goals, assuming that he wants something more than just revenge against Darnic."

"Maybe the Church is making a play for the Greater Grail?" Harry asked. "Shirou claimed that the Church doesn't actually want it, but it could have changed matters, and it might simply be that he's simply working for the Vatican against Clock Tower. I don't know enough of the politics of this place, but I got the impression from Shirou that the Vatican and Clock Tower, while not enemies per se, have more of a ceasefire than an alliance."

"It's a possibility, but we should run it by Kairi," Hermione said. "He probably knows more about this sort of thing than we do. It also could be that this is an assassination against Darnic. We learned from Sagara how he's maintained his youth, using a ritual that allows him to consume an infant soul. But still…if he's done something to the other Masters of Red…well, if the Vatican wants the Greater Grail, it does explain things, but an assassination is another matter. But I honestly don't know if his personal desires come into it. I don't know much about Shirou Amakusa Tokisada. I do know he led a rebellion against the Shogunate of the time of Japanese Catholics, but that's about it. Do you think he wants the Grail for revenge?"

"I doubt it," Altera said. "While I cannot discern his true motives, he seemed like a rather pious man. At the time I attacked Rome, I encountered many Christians. Some who converted merely out of greed for a guaranteed afterlife, some who were rabid fanatics, and others who were genuinely pious. Shirou appears to be the latter. Of course, piety does not necessarily mean benign. He is a member of the Burial Agency after all, and Semiramis is a powerful Servant."

"Too many questions, and not enough answers," Harry said, gingerly getting out of bed. "…I'd better go and see the others. And Hermione…thanks for coming for me. Thanks for listening to me."

"Harry…after everything that happened in our fifth year, and before then…I wish I hadn't listened to Dumbledore to keep you in the dark. That was one of my biggest regrets when I thought you were dead. Besides, I had to grow up."

"…I wish I had been there to help, Hermione."

"…So do I…"

* * *

Darnic scowled as another Homunculus was examined by Gordes and Avicebron. Many were affected by the bizarre smog that briefly showed up in the streets of Trifas, and a few had actually died. Gordes and Avicebron were currently conducting an autopsy.

Eventually, Darnic decided they had enough time. Between an expert on Homunculi and a Caster Servant, they should have been able to figure out what went on. "Well?"

Gordes waved at the Homunculus on the gurney, cut open. "Lord Darnic, we're still processing the data. At best, we can offer only a preliminary report."

"Then give it," Darnic said. He could understand the need for thoroughness, but he wanted answers.

"The lungs of the Homunculi have been, well, affected by a smog. While there's some sort of magical component, the affected Homunculi were all suffering to varying degrees from exposure to sulphur dioxide and other pollutants. It's as if part of Trifas was briefly immersed in a completely lethal form of what used to be known in London as a pea-soup fog, so named because of the colour imparted by the pollutants," Gordes said, his usual pomposity gone in favour of a more serious lecturing tone.

"I'm aware of what a pea-soup fog is, Gordes," Darnic said archly. "I visited London during the Great Smog of 1952. Most unpleasant, to say the least. However, we can rule out either Rider or Saber of Red, or their Masters, creating it, as their last expressions before the smog obscured them was of confusion and surprise."

"I daresay it was a Noble Phantasm, regardless," Avicebron said in his soft, weary voice, echoing from behind his blank golden mask. "And while it could have been a Servant of the Red Faction doing that in order to rescue allies…"

Gordes nodded. "Are you thinking what I am thinking, Caster? That this was Assassin of Black's handiwork?"

"Indeed," Avicebron said, before he turned his masked face to Darnic. "When you lost contact with Sagara, you disclosed Assassin of Black's intended identity to us as Jack the Ripper. London at the time was infamous for smog from coal fires. This may be his Noble Phantasm, or one of them."

Darnic nodded. He had to admit, for all his pomposity, Gordes had a keen mind when he actually put it to use, and Avicebron was an expert Magus. While Gordes was Master of Saber, he did have some synergy with Roche's Servant, if only because, while a golem master, Avicebron also knew a lot about Homunculi. "While your hypothesis may be incorrect, it still stands to reason that Assassin of Black may have been taken from us anyway. About the only good thing about this fiasco is that we know the identity of Rider of Red, thanks to your Saber, Gordes. However, one of the feeds from Avicebron's aerial golems have pinpointed where Ruler is. Gordes, clean yourself up and take Saber with you to meet her. Try to persuade her to come here. But don't try overly hard. She's meant to be a neutral referee, and trying too hard might deter her from helping us. That being said, bring up Assassin of Black going rogue."

"Understood, Lord Darnic," Gordes said, before leaving to clean the blood and viscera from his hands.

"And what of me?" Avicebron asked.

"I want a more detailed report, Avicebron. Any Homunculi you can salvage, do so. Otherwise, euthanize them," Darnic said. "Also, we have potential reports of a possible Berserker from the Red Faction heading this way. Those Clock Tower curs can't even keep their mad dog on a leash. At least Caules' Berserker, weak though she is, is lucid enough to obey orders, even occupy her time. That being said…Avicebron, I have a plan that may ensure that one of the Red Faction's pawns ends up on our side of the board. So I need to know if what I am planning is possible…"

**CHAPTER 11 ANNOTATIONS:**

**So, Harry's recovered enough to appreciate his reunion, Hermione's pragmatic enough to accept Altera, and Yggdmillennia are up to no good.**

**Review-answering time! ****Have a Little Feith****: As fun as it would have been to have Goetia to take over Harry's body, that is not the case here. I actually posted a challenge where Goetia or another Beast of Calamity is reincarnated as Harry, with at least one other Beast reincarnated at Hogwarts. I had this weird notion that Luna would be Tiamat's reincarnation.**

**No numbered annotations this time.**


	13. Chapter 12: Searches

**CHAPTER 12:**

**SEARCHES**

Harry, now that he was in full command of his memories (well, mostly full: he actually remembered most of his time at Hogwarts now), understood why he trusted Kairi. The man reminded him of Sirius, the same confidence, but also the same weariness he hid. The next morning, after they had gotten some sleep and some breakfast, the necromancer was examining a map of Romania, while a bizarre device that could only be described as a magical fax made from bones sat at the ready. Harry had explained what he had learned about Shirou, and what he knew of the Red Faction.

Kairi had eventually shared his Servant's identity, which caused a ruckus, as did the revelation that Assassin of Black was Jack the Ripper. Harry found it hard to believe that such a little girl was the most infamous serial killer in Britain, while Sirius made a snarky remark that all the Servants they knew were genderflipped. That nearly got him castrated by an irate Mordred.

Kairi was shaking his head. "A goddamned Ruler Servant, left over by the von Einzberns from the Third Holy Grail War. I doubt my contacts at Clock Tower would believe me, and even if they did…well, they'd hope he would be working to ensure that the Greater Grail was being taken away from Yggdmillennia."

"That aside, Shirou hinted that Semiramis' Noble Phantasm would be the key to his strategy," Altera said. "However, I don't know what that is."

"We also don't know for sure that Shirou is our enemy," Sirius pointed out. "If he treated Harry so well…well, if he had something to do with the other Masters of Red being absent, why single out Harry for preferential treatment?"

"He got to know Harry before the Masters of Red came along," Altera said. "In addition, Harry is not a Magus, and many Magi are amoral in their pursuit of Akasha. Am I wrong?"

"…You got me there," Kairi said. "Hell, I've taken down more than a few Sealing Designations." On their looks, he explained, "Look, some Magi go too far in their experiments, so they have what's known as Sealing Designations slapped on them. Their research is generally valuable, but it's either immoral, or, in cases like looking into Reality Marbles, dangerous, or, when it comes to Dead Apostles, vampires to you, both. While most of the time, they are to be captured alive and taken into custody…well, sometimes, you can't…or shouldn't do that."

"And are your bosses on the level, Mr Sisigou?" Tonks asked.

"Call me Kairi," the grizzled necromancer said. "Rocco Belfeban may be an eccentric with way too many pickled magical creatures in his office, but he's decent enough, and my main contact with Clock Tower, Lord El-Melloi, is probably one of the most moral high-ranking Magi in Clock Tower. Sorry, that should be Lord El-Melloi II, real name, Waver Velvet. And you guys said you know Zelretch, right? That damned vampire may be infamous for trolling people, but he's easily one of the more righteous Magi around, never mind one of the more righteous vampires. I can only really name two other vampires with anything like a decent attitude towards humanity, Merem Solomon of the Burial Agency, and Arcueid Brunestud."

Remus peered down at the map himself. "Getting back to the point, Shirou's base is a church in a town near Sighişoara. Yggdmillennia is in Trifas. Now, another Ruler is here, correct? We should try to find them."

"Easier said than done," Kairi said. "From what Harry said, Ruler might have had to possess a compatible body due to Shirou already being present, and they may not have arrived in Romania yet. But let's assume she is."

"We'll start by searching Sighişoara," Remus decided. "That's the closest town to the action, and…" He was cut off when Kairi's device activated.

As Kairi took the page that had been written on by his 'fax', Mordred scowled in thought. "There's a problem with last night. Yggdmillennia waited until we were right in the middle of town before they attacked. When I unleash the full power of my Noble Phantasm, it's an Anti-Army type, and of a pretty destructive kind. It's one thing to let loose on a battlefield, but getting subjects in the way…"

"Is not what you want, right?" Kairi asked. "I'll try to keep it in mind, Your Highness."

Mordred stared at him in astonishment. "…What did you call me?"

"Your Majesty. Calling civilians subjects is the prerogative of royalty. You've got a problem with that?"

"…None whatsoever," Mordred said, blushing.

"…You actually care about civilians?" Sirius asked incredulously. "Mordred Pendragon, the killer of King Arthur?"

"Oi, dog-breath, I actually lured my Father away from the big towns when I went to war!" Mordred snapped. "Besides…what would you know about how I felt about Father? Anyway, I may not adhere to chivalry much, but I won't feed on civilians to replenish my reserves. I doubt Altera would, and you seem to have the murderous munchkin under control."

"Mummy's mana is so warm," chirped Jack the Ripper, from where she was seated on Tonks' lap. "Why would we want anything else?"

"Yeah, this was definitely not how I expected to have children," Tonks said. "Anyway, what's with the message, Kairi?"

"It's from the priest," Kairi said. "Spartacus has slipped his leash and is making his way to Trifas. He's sent Atalanta to intercept, but wants either Mordred or Altera to assist, as he needs Karna to protect Semiramis' project, and Shakespeare is useless in combat."

"I shall go," Altera declared. "When does he want me to rendezvous with Atalanta, and where?"

"As soon as possible," Kairi said. "He's given map coordinates of the area both Atalanta and Spartacus were in." He pointed to part of the map between Trifas and Sighişoara. "Can you find them?"

"Yes. Harry, will you be all right with them?"

"Of course, Altera. Just be careful. Give updates over our link when possible."

As Altera Astralized, Kairi said, "Meanwhile, we will start searching Sighişoara for Ruler. If we're lucky, they'll make themselves known to us…"

* * *

Unfortunately, they weren't so lucky. Either Ruler wasn't in Sighişoara when they got there by Portkey, or they weren't making themselves known. Jackie was keeping watch from the rooftops for any potential attackers from Yggdmillennia, while the group had split into two. Kairi, Mordred, Harry and Hermione were in one.

"That's one thing we should consider doing," Hermione mused as they walked down the streets. "If Yggdmillennia really are using Homunculi to power their Servants, maybe we should consider removing them from their tanks. We've got your Invisibility Cloak, Harry, and Notice Me Nots can help, assuming they don't have countermeasures. Assassin could help infiltrate. How much do you remember the layout of Yggdmillennia's stronghold?"

"Quite a bit. Admittedly, most of that I learned while I was their…'guest'," Harry snarked. "Caules and Fiore…they were nice, and I think that, while they're magecraft users, they're not exactly evil. Roche…I wouldn't say he's evil as much as he doesn't know proper right or wrong. Apparently he was raised by golems."

"Roche…must be one of the Frain bloodline if he was raised by golems," Kairi observed.

"Yeah, but he was also excited about using me as the core to Caster's Noble Phantasm," Harry pointed out in annoyance. "So he's definitely got psychopathic tendencies. I'd kill a Homunculus if they wanted me dead, true, and I had to when I escaped, but I wouldn't go out of my way to treat them like, well, objects or spare parts. Celenike, though…" Harry shuddered. "Gordes was an arsehole of the highest order, and he helped Celenike with her experiments on me, but that was only in procuring materials and advising her. In truth, I think that fat fuck was scared of her. But Celenike?"

"How bad is she, Harry?" Hermione asked. "You compared her to Bellatrix Lestrange, if I recall…"

"…Bad. She kept me alive while torturing me. She…got off on it. I think my mind is blanking out the worst of it still. But…I'm probably going to have nightmares of it for years to come. It's going to be what I'm experiencing whenever I encounter Dementors…assuming I go back."

"…You wouldn't go back?" Hermione asked quietly.

"…Hermione, think back to how our fifth year went about, starting with you and Ron and the others keeping me in the dark. If Voldemort is dead, and Dumbledore's dealing with whatever the hell is keeping him alive…then good. Magical Britain's pilloried me one time too many. Besides, if I came back, looking like this…how would people react? They'd view me as another Dark Lord for hopping bodies."

"…As much as I don't want to admit it, you have a point. And even if your body was still around, how can we guarantee that it's in any condition to transfer you back? And, of course, soul transfer is part of the Third True Magic, and we need the Grail for that."

"And you have every other Master and Servant to deal with," Kairi pointed out. "This may be a team battle, but once one side or the other falls, the winning side is meant to revert to a standard Grail War battle royale. Dunno why, the Greater Grail, from what I know of the ritual, is primed by the energy of six defeated Servants, and there are fourteen not counting Ruler…either of them. What's more, while killing Masters isn't in the rules, it's an unwritten rule that targeting Masters is fair game. It's easier than killing a Servant, after all, and Assassin is a class designed to kill Masters. That being said…while I'm a pragmatist, I also don't kill allies. If push comes to shove and we have to fight, I'll make sure to only remove your Command Seals. You'll be missing a hand, but you'll still be alive, right? Of course, you could do the same for me."

"Maybe. You're at least a decent guy, Kairi. Same with Saber, much to my surprise, given her reputation," Harry said. "Then again, my Rider doesn't have the best reputation, and neither does Assassin of Black." He then sighed quietly. "…Of course, I know what it's like to be lauded one moment, and vilified the next. Did they tell you much of my life?"

"Yeah," Mordred said. "If it's any consolation, your life sucked." She put a friendly hand on his shoulder. "I know how that feels. Okay, I was raised by the evil witch, rather than having her oppose me, and my parents were still alive, but…I was lauded a lot, hunting down and slaying traitors to my father. But when I revealed my parentage…my reputation went down the crapper. And you guys know what it's like these days. But…the stories don't say a lot about how cold and inhuman Father was. Anyway…my wish is to prove that Father was wrong, so, I want it to give me an opportunity to pull Caliburn from the stone. That way, I can show Father that I was worthy."

"What if you can't?" Hermione asked.

"Hey, I can," Mordred retorted. "Still…we haven't spotted Ruler. I mean, we'd have sensed their presence before now, right? She must be in another town or something. Plus, this place is so boring. I'm still not convinced it's been over a thousand years since my time."

Harry rolled his eyes. She had a point though. He hoped Altera was involved in something more interesting…

* * *

Once she had arrived in the forested area where Atalanta was pursuing Spartacus, Altera took a moment to summon one of her Noble Phantasms, the one that qualified her for the Rider class. Etzel, her steed. A magnificent horse. Altera had few loves in her life as Attila the Hun, but Etzel was one, named for the name the Germanic people gave her. A name she would have preferred herself.

Riding through the forest, she felt a thrill run through her. Horseriding was perhaps one of the few non-destructive things that gave Altera joy in her life as Attila the Hun. And even though a dense forest wasn't exactly conducive to horseriding, that only made it more fun, to ride through at speeds race cars would envy, avoiding branches and trees and logs.

But she soon sensed the signature of what had to be Atalanta, so she leapt off Etzel, dismissing the horse as she did so, and landed on a branch next to the cat-eared Archer, who whirled and aimed her bow at her, before lowering it. "Rider. So, the priest sent you?"

"Yes. Berserker's slipped his leash?"

Atalanta rolled her eyes, before she waved to the distance. The hulking mass of Spartacus was there, howling about oppressors and rebellion and his love, as was his usual idiom. "He's taking what passes for a breather. I was told to intercept any Servants from Yggdmillennia who try to attack and intercept any onlookers to protect them and the secrecy of magecraft. The priest was worried about you and your Master, as well as Saber and her Master. You fell off the radar after you went to Trifas."

"It's a long story. The short version is, we're currently with the Master of Assassin of Black, who wants nothing to do with Yggdmillennia. You'll forgive me if I do not elaborate. We've been finding ourselves disquieted by Shirou and his Servant, so while we will cooperate to stop Yggdmillennia…"

"Understood," Atalanta said. "…And while I understand Magi love to work in the shadows, I myself am disquieted by the lack of contact with my Master, save for orders down our link. There is something about the priest that troubles me too."

Altera briefly considered warning Atalanta about Shirou being a Ruler. However, they weren't completely certain that Shirou was their enemy. Instead, she said, "We hope that we are wrong about him. He seems genuinely decent."

"Perhaps, but as the modern idiom says, the road to Hell is paved with the best of intentions," Atalanta said. "Speaking of idioms, or rather, idiots, it was Caster who apparently encouraged Berserker to head this way. And with the ritual for Assassin's Noble Phantasm at a critical stage…"

Altera nodded in acknowledgement. "It's a distraction they don't need. Archer, his Noble Phantasm or Phantasms…should we be concerned about them?"

"Yes. His main Noble Phantasm is Crying Warmonger, converting damage into magical energy which he can use to heal," Atalanta said. "But…if enough damage is done to him, it can be weaponised. And as he is a Berserker who delights in rebellion and finds it hard to tell friend from foe…"

Altera got the implication that Spartacus was as much a danger to his allies as he was his enemies swiftly, and sighed in irritation. "What possessed his Master to summon a Berserker specifically like him?"

"He's a Magus. He probably thought he could control Berserker with the strength of his sheer arrogance," Atalanta said. "Even though that Berserker is one of the most infamous rebels in history. Many Magi would make Jason look tame."

Altera chuckled to herself. But then, the massive form of Spartacus loped away. "Well, it looks like we'll have to chat later."

"Can you keep up?" Atalanta asked.

"I'm a Rider, one of the most alacritous classes," Altera said. "I can certainly try…"

**CHAPTER 12 ANNOTATIONS:**

**Well, there you go. I originally had them encountering Ruler, but I thought that might complicate things too quickly.**

**Review-answering time! ****Dragon Man 180****: No. For all her murderous tendencies, Jackie has a strange innocence to her, so I'm basically saying that, while she knows a lot of expletives, she generally doesn't use them.**

**No numbered annotations this time.**


	14. Chapter 13: Clash

**CHAPTER 13:**

**CLASH**

Trying to track down Ruler was a wash. It seemed that he or she weren't in Sighişoara. And with one of their Servants currently out, it was decided to wait until later to try anything else.

Harry decided, as did virtually everyone else save for Kairi and Mordred, to get some sleep. Kairi was busy working on a pickled hydra, claiming it made a potent antidote for most poisons, while Mordred was griping about not being with Altera to fight.

Harry woke up in a by-now familiar cavern. The Titaness form of Altera reaching down and placing him on her shoulder held no fear for him now. Indeed, the gesture was an affectionate one. Though something occurred to him. "Altera…are you able to cope with controlling this body and the one you have outside?"

"It's difficult, but far from impossible," Altera said. "Keep in mind, my own mind is considerably more sophisticated than yours. This doesn't necessarily mean I am a genius per se, rather, my brain processes and stores far more information than the human mind can."

"Why is that?"

"…When Velber re-engineered me into Sephyr, I was designed not just to destroy, but to absorb," Altera said. "Velber, for all its intent on destruction, does not destroy without absorbing useful information. That would be wasteful. I was designed to absorb and retain considerable amounts of information. In addition, my mind can process information at a fairly fast rate, particularly when it comes to body movements and sensory perception, in order to optimise my ability to do battle. As I can't really do much within my prison, there's actually little trouble between my talking to you here, and running my avatar in Romania." With that, she gestured, and they saw a forest at night appear as an image hanging in mid-air. "And you arrived just in time. My avatar has sensed the approach of a pair of Servants close to my position, with Atalanta giving me fire support."

"…Maybe I need popcorn," Harry muttered, even as a pair of figures emerged from out of the trees. One appeared to be a red-haired young woman, anywhere from her late teens to her twenties, dressed in a bridal gown, her eyes obscured by her fringe. However, what looked like metal headphones covered her ears, a horn of the same material protruded from her forehead, and she wielded a rather large mace that looked vaguely like a Tesla coil. She was growling quietly at Altera, the avatar.

The swordsman, however, was tall, with tanned skin, and silvery white hair framing stern but handsome features. A glowing sigil was visible on his bare chest, while the rest of him was armoured. Altera gasped. "Of all the Servants to be summoned…it was him?"

"Who? You recognise him? He's a Saber, right?"

"Yes…and I knew him. I met him once in life. He is Siegfried, the hero of the Germanic epic you know as the _Nibelungenlied_, the one that man Wagner adapted into _The Ring of the Nibelung_. He came to visit me at what passed for my court at the time, and I helped his widow get revenge after he was killed by Hagen, and I agreed in exchange for treasure…just a moment…"

Then, her voice came from the image they were watching. "…_Siegfried_," Altera's avatar said. "_A perverse jest of fate, this is._"

"_Indeed, Altera. I remember how you preferred that name to Attila the Hun_," Siegfried said. Then, after a moment, he sighed. "_My Master is not happy that you revealed my name to the other watching Masters. I believe he hoped to retain an advantage of some sort. My apologies, but Berserker and I have orders to stop you from assisting your own Berserker._"

"…_That is the nature of a Grail War_," Altera's avatar said, before the tip of Photon Ray pointed at them. "_So, let's begin_."

Harry watched as Altera clashed with the two enemy Servants. His eyes all but bugged out of their sockets when he saw the blade of Photon Ray all but extend into a rainbow-coloured whip, lashing out at Siegfried's own weapon, and entangling it. "I never saw it do that before, even when you sparred with Semiramis!"

"I believe the colloquial term is, _a girl's gotta have some secrets_," Altera said with a smile, as Siegfried managed to pull Balmung away. "Still…Siegfried is no pushover, and neither is the Berserker. Balmung is a successor of the infamous cursed sword, Gram, wielded by a man many consider to be another aspect of Siegfried, the hero Sigurd. Siegfried is a powerful fighter, and Balmung is dangerous. I may be more powerful than either Servant, but overconfidence is the breeding ground for defeat and death."

After a period spent fighting, Altera's avatar broke away from her opponents. "_Both of you fight well. I expected no less from you, Siegfried, but you, Berserker, despite your class, fight well in concert with an ally_," Altera's avatar said on the image. "_A shame you fight for such unworthy Masters. Which one is yours, Siegfried? The sadistic whore? The blustering oaf? Either one would be unworthy of your talents._"

"_Nonetheless, I fight for my Master_," Siegfried said stoically.

"_Honourable fool_," Altera's avatar said. "_That's what got you stabbed in the back by Hagen in the first place. And many Magi would make Hagen look honourable himself. The only reason why I would stab you in the back is because that is the only place you are vulnerable, save to weapons of a high enough power. But the Sword of Mars is one of those exceptions. Still…I must apologise in advance, Siegfried._"

Siegfried frowned. "_For what?_"

Altera raised Photon Ray in a salute, and an arrow, presumably shot by Atalanta, smacked into Siegfried, pinning him to a tree. "_For that. It may not be enough to kill you, but it will buy me enough time to deal with Berserker._" The red-haired girl was growling at her. "_Your ability as a fighter and in concert with Siegfried is good, Berserker, but for one of your class, your strength is somewhat lacking. I would suggest putting your all into it, unless you intend to either retreat or die by my blade. I am sure Yggdmillennia have already put paid to our Berserker. An eye for an eye, perhaps?_"

However, Siegfried was getting unsteadily to his feet, and activated his sword, a pillar of blue flame belching into the sky. Altera frowned. "Something's wrong. Look, he's fighting against it. His Master must have used a Command Seal to force him to use Balmung."

Harry nodded, accepting that. Siegfried certainly looked like he was struggling against it, his eyes wide in shock. "Are you going to get out of the way?"

"If necessary, but…" Suddenly, the pillar of flame cut out, and Siegfried all but collapsed. "…His Master changed his mind. Two Command Seals, out of three? He isn't prudent. Or she."

"…I think I know who it'd be," Harry said. "Gordes is probably his Master. Celenike wouldn't hold back, and Fiore and Caules wouldn't force their Servant to do that, I hope. Roche is the Master of Avicebron, and Darnic is Vlad Tepes' Master…"

As Siegfried Astralized with an apologetic smile, Berserker seemed about to attack, only to pause. "…Her Master is talking. Maybe he has a plan. Or…" Altera's eyes widened, and on the image, Photon Ray lashed out in time to swat an arrow from the sky. Berserker took the opportunity to dash by Altera, and only a hail of arrows from, presumably, Archer of Black, prevented Altera from doing anything via her avatar.

Altera grimaced. "So, let's see if I can spot Archer of Black. Releasing Fairy Snow Photon Ray for flight." The image on the screen showed Altera rising above the canopy. More arrows shot her way, but she deflected them. In the distance was the Yggdmillennia castle. Altera frowned, and the image zoomed in on a distant pair of figures on a balcony. Harry recognised the wheelchair-bound form of Fiore, blurry though the image was, while next to her, a brown-haired man in Grecian dress wielded a bow.

"_Know this, Archer of Black!_" Altera's avatar called out. "_I can sense your divinity from here! But I have destroyed gods! You shall be no different when the time comes!_"

With that, the image blanked out, and Altera sighed. "I'll Astralize my avatar and withdraw. I believe Atalanta is doing the same. It means Spartacus has either been killed or captured, but…"

Harry nodded. Altera's avatar was as durable as any Servant, especially now that it had gone through the summoning process, but that didn't make it indestructible. "Archer of Black must be pretty damned good to snipe you through the trees from his position."

"Yes. And there are few Greco-Roman Servants with his skill in archery, to say little of his divinity," Altera mused.

"He's also Fiore's Servant," Harry muttered. "I hope I'm right about her, and that she's a decent person, even amongst Yggdmillennia. She and her brother were good people, or so I thought."

"They are also our enemies," Altera pointed out. "While I will attempt to spare them where necessary, it may be that I need to kill them."

"I know, it's just…don't get me wrong, after what Darnic, Celenike and Gordes put me through, I'm more than willing to kill them. I think I'm more willing to kill in general. But…"

"I understand. Maybe it's time we said goodnight, though. Even in this shared memetic construct, your mind is still active, and you need a period to rest it."

"I guess so," Harry said, before, on an impulse, he kissed Altera on her cheek. "Good night, Altera…"

* * *

As her ally faded, Altera put a hand to her cheek where Harry had kissed her, and blushed. True, they had been affectionate to each other before, with her avatar and Harry giving each other hugs…but this was something else. Not as noteworthy as a kiss that brought lips to meet lips, all but impossible in this state anyway due to their respective sizes, but still…

Altera frowned. While she was not immune to the concept of attraction, anything like romantic love was, admittedly, alien to her. True, she had wed as Attila the Hun, but those were generally for political purposes, as well as the fact that the leader of her people had to be seen as such, despite the fact that she was a woman, and so were those she wed…for the most part. However, as Attila, she was actually…well, asexual wasn't quite the right word, as she could feel desire, but it was utterly secondary to conquest and destruction.

And yet…now, she felt something. At first, when she felt affection for Harry, it was almost like that one had for a pet, albeit one who was intelligent and powerful in their own right. And then, she realised that she actually valued him as a friend. A friend suggested some sort of equality in the relationship, and while she was doubtlessly the more powerful of the two, the fact that, after some understandable initial wariness, he treated her like a normal person was heartening.

What's more, he seemed to desire her. Her human form was beautiful, and despite the race memory of Sephyr, which must have resonated within the soul of the Homunculus fused with Harry (he came from another world, after all, so unless an alternate version of herself ended up there, it was more likely to be the Homunculus), he seemed to find her form as Sephyr beautiful too. So that was heartening.

Altera knew, with a somewhat dispassionate view, that what they felt at this time was not romantic love, but rather, feelings that could potentially evolve into it. What was more, they had a LOT of obstacles to overcome to make the relationship work. He was a wizard from another world shoved into the body of a Homunculus, and she was a millennia-old alien superweapon. That in itself was daunting, given the psychological issues both brought to the table. The problem of Velber influencing her was also a major problem, one that they needed the Grail to fix. Her size was not so big a problem: once she was free, she was confident she could change her shape and form to one closer to human dimensions.

If anything, the greatest obstacle, aside from the Velber issue, was ageing. Harry was 18, having been in the final months of his 16th year when he ended up on this world. Altera was…well, over 14000 years old, depending on how old she was when Velber harvested her from her homeworld. But it wasn't the age difference that was the issue. Harry was now an adult after all. Rather, it was the ageing difference. In all likelihood, she could probably live for many times longer, but humans could only live for decades, not millennia. To her knowledge, only the likes of Dead Apostles and the True Ancestors could live for as long.

Admittedly, it was too soon in their relationship to consider such a thing. But if there was one thing Altera had come to loathe in her imprisonment, it was loneliness. Even her discussions with Justeaze only came about relatively recently. And even with her sojourns into the real world using her avatar, she found herself set apart from humanity. She felt like an onlooker, on the outside looking in. Then again, she was an alien.

She needed to win this Grail War. That way, once she was free from Velber's influence, she could actually _live_. Whether that life was with Harry or not, well, who knew? However, she hoped it would be…

**CHAPTER 13 ANNOTATIONS:**

**Oh dear. The first proper clash in the Grail War…**

**Review-answering time! ****Tenzo51****: Not going to happen. Anyway, anyone who hurts Tonks is going to be on the receiving end of Maria the Ripper in short order.**

**Dragon Man 180****: I'd pick Morded. Arturia would try to maintain manners even as she ate, and I doubt even Ron could keep up with a Servant…**

**No numbered annotations this time.**


	15. Chapter 14: Bodysnatcher

**CHAPTER 14:**

**BODYSNATCHER**

Celenike Icecolle Yggdmillennia struggled to keep the contemptuous sneer off her face as she looked at the gathered Masters of Yggdmillennia and their respective Servants. The only ones absent were that creepy little shit Roche and his Caster, Avicebron. Not that Celenike had a leg to stand on in the creepiness stakes, but she only cared about that enough to know to conceal it from others.

That fat oaf Gordes, that crippled little slattern Fiore, that wimp Caules…and Darnic, a man who thought he held her leash. Also present were the Servants. Saber, a silver-haired man in armour. Lancer, a blonde-haired and bearded regal-looking man with sunken eyes. Archer, an overly serene man with brown hair and green eyes and a horse tail coming from his arse. Berserker, a red-haired young woman in a bridal dress and who acted like a dog. And Rider, **_her_** Astolfo, an effeminate, pink-haired young man who looked so much like a girl.

Darnic, from where he was standing next to Lancer's throne, declared, "The operation was a success. Despite some problems, we not only successfully drove off Archer and Rider of Red, but we have captured Berserker of Red. Caster believes he may be able to bring him under our control, albeit with difficulty, or at least persuade him to fight for our cause. Spartacus, after all, is known for rebelling against oppressive authority, and we can paint Clock Tower as supreme oppressors. Which is the truth."

Celenike suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. Darnic made himself out to be a crusader for the Magi who were discarded by Clock Tower politics, but any moral high ground was negated by the fact that he basically ate infant souls to retain eternally youthful. Celenike certainly intended to do the same, but she didn't intend to be a hypocrite about it.

Archer coughed quietly to gain attention. On everyone looking at him, he said, quietly, "I believe Rider of Red to be more than just a female Attila the Hun. She sensed my divinity, and her claim of having killed gods did not appear to be hyperbole. The weapon she wields…it is the Sword of Mars, but…I can only hope that I am wrong, that she merely inherited the sword."

"What do you mean, Archer?" Darnic asked.

"With your permission, Darnic, that is something I would prefer to discuss with you, Lancer and Fiore in private. It is only a hypothesis, nothing definite, but I fear that she may in fact be our toughest opponent." There was a strange…antipathy in Archer's face when he said that.

Darnic nodded. "I look forward to your explanation, Archer. However, this battle has not been without its downside," Darnic said, glaring at Gordes. "Saber of Black's identity as Siegfried has been uncovered by Rider of Red, Altera, also known as Attila the Hun. While we now know Saber's true identity despite Gordes' insistence on secrecy, the Red Faction doubtlessly know already. Of greater concern is Gordes' imbecilic actions during the battle."

"He was losing himself in the battle! He only wants to prolong it by fighting an opponent!" Gordes snapped. "I wanted him to end it swiftly, and as his identity was already known, allowing him to use his Noble Phantasm was a…"

"Silence," Darnic said coldly. "You wasted a Command Seal on a relatively trivial matter. Saber's task was to distract the attacking Red Servants, and killing them was a mere bonus. In addition, as Rider of Red already knew who your Servant was, she also may have had an idea of how and when to counterattack when Saber unleashed Balmung. You did not think of that, did you?" Gordes paled. "Exactly. That is why I forced you to use a second Command Seal. In addition, I would suggest communicating with your Servant a bit more."

"He's a liar!" Gordes snapped. "He claims to have no wish for the Grail! But all Servants are supposed to have a wish for the Grail, to consent to being summoned! I would have thought revenge against Hagen, or perhaps to revive Brunhilde! And given his actions against Lancer and Rider of Red, he must be desiring to test himself in battle, not actually do his damned job!"

"May I speak?" Saber asked.

"No!" Gordes snapped.

However, Lancer held up his hand. "You may, Saber."

The silver-haired knight nodded in thanks. "What I said to my Master was that I didn't know what my wish for the Grail was," Saber said. "Not that I didn't have one."

Darnic nodded thoughtfully. "So, in other words, a failure to communicate. Gordes, let this be a lesson to you. You get more flies with honey than vinegar. Now, to more concerning issues. After last night's incident in Trifas, we have worked to try and find any trace of Kairi Sisigou and the person accompanying him, along with their respective Servants, Saber and Rider of Red. We thought of Sighişoara, but we haven't found a trace, and any agents attempting to find the Church's coordinator have ended up with memory loss. However, we lucked out with one of our agents in Târgu Mureş."

Fiore frowned. "That's outside our normal territory," the wheelchair-bound young woman remarked.

"Indeed, but I had at least one informant in every city and town in Romania," Darnic said. "My informant happened to spot a group of British newcomers arrive not long ago. She decided to gather intelligence, as Clock Tower is based in Britain. In addition, they were accompanied by a little girl who literally defied description. As in, she could give only a vague description, despite giving detailed descriptions of the others. She decided against informing me until she had more information. However, yesterday, while watching the home this group rented, she saw them leave in the company of Kairi Sisigou, Saber of Red…and the Master of Rider of Red. Only, she was able to get a better glimpse of him. It seems that Rider of Red's Master is our errant Homunculus. True, he was under concealing clothing, including hat and sunglasses, but she noted his facial features, and when he removed his sunglasses at one point, she noted that he had the same mismatched eyes the one who escaped did."

Celenike felt a thrill go through her body at that. The Homunculus escaping was a big humiliation she had to endure, to say nothing of Darnic's rebuke. She had been allowed to summon Astolfo as Rider, but on sufferance. When Rider learned of that escapade, he promptly laughed at her, the disrespectful little trap! He'd even expressed delight at the Homunculus escaping, saying it was good that he'd woken up and escaped. Rider was hers to do with as she wanted, and yet, he didn't really respond to her sessions with him. If anything, he seemed bored, as if her ministrations were beneath him.

"What do we do about the matter?" Celenike asked, trying to keep the eagerness out of her voice.

"For now…nothing, save for gathering intelligence," Darnic said. He held up a hand to forestall arguments. "This group has two if not three Servants. It's a possibility that the girl whom my informant cannot describe is Assassin of Black, as she can give detailed descriptions of the others. Even if we retrieve the Homunculus for Caster's Noble Phantasm, we may lose the Servants we send there. In addition, only Kairi Sisigou is the known quantity here. He is the only Master of Red, aside from the Homunculus, that we have seen."

Fiore frowned. "Uncle Darnic, may I make a suggestion? It is admittedly a long shot, but if this group seems to be separate from the main part of the Red Faction, do you think we can sow discord by divulging what happened with Ruler? It may be that the Red Faction has splintered, and that one part desired Ruler's demise. But these people may not want Ruler dead, and even if we cannot get an alliance, we can still divide our enemies."

"…An intriguing idea, Fiore, and one that has merit. True, they clearly trusted the rest of the Red Faction enough to send Rider of Red to assist Archer and Berserker of Red. But their separation from the main group does imply something we can potentially exploit. That being said, how will we do so?"

With considerable difficulty, Celenike had to stifle a sadistic smile, and said, "I believe I can help in that regard. Rider is one of the most alacritous classes, after all. What's more, his friendliness will help put them at ease. And in truth, he has been rather bored, cooped up in here."

She noted the sceptical looks on virtually everyone present, and strangled an urge to snarl at them. True, she didn't expect them to think of her as anything but sadistic, but she had hoped they would understand a façade of pragmatism. It was so torturous, trying to hold off on indulging her desires.

In truth, she had no intention of allowing Rider to do such a thing. The moment he confirmed he was with the Homunculus and his little group of allies, she was going to use as many Command Seals as she could to have him kill them, or die trying. Especially the Homunculus. True, Rider would likely die in the process, but she had little use for a toy that was uncooperative and who had mocked her. He would die in anguish and despair at having killed them. He had way too many scruples. She'd claim that the Red Faction splinter group had betrayed them and attacked. The thought of doing this made her glad that none of those present could see the state of her underwear.

And once Rider was dead…well, there were plenty of Masters she could take a Servant from. That fat oaf Gordes and that wimpy little shit Caules were the prime candidates. The latter was probably wisest: his Berserker was fairly calm for someone from that class, she was very much a looker even if she wasn't a talker, and Caules still had three Command Seals, whereas Gordes had squandered most of his.

Darnic, after a moment, nodded. "Very well. Rider, your instructions are to head to where this splinter faction is under a flag of parley."

"I could always use my cloak," Rider said. "It's big enough to be a white flag."

"You will approach these people carefully and non-aggressively, and divulge this information to them. If they do not react with hostility, try to get as much information from them as you can," Darnic said. "If they do react with hostility, retreat. Do not attempt to engage them. Celenike, monitor the situation and, if need be, use a Command Seal to retrieve him. I will have someone monitoring you."

Celenike fought to keep a triumphant smile off her face. Oh, she would use a Command Seal. Just not for that reason. She'd just have to find a way to distract her minder. But her fantasies of carnage were interrupted when that creepy little shit Roche entered the throne room. "Uncle Darnic? There is a problem. Harry Potter's body is missing. Teacher says that the Bounded Field around the castle hasn't been tripped, so he's hiding out in here, assuming that someone hasn't broken him out."

Darnic frowned. "I thought Potter was braindead. How was he able to break out? What did the life-support readouts say? Have they been tampered with?"

"Teacher said they had been, but he couldn't investigate any further, due to needing to deal with Berserker of Red," the little brat said.

Darnic frowned. "…Very well. We are on Orange Alert status. Homunculi are to search every corner of the castle. Every Master is to be with either their Servant or a Homunculi contingent at all times. Celenike, unless you wish to abort the mission you are sending Rider on…"

"I can look after myself. Besides, I doubt Potter would have any desire to hide anywhere in my Workshop…"

* * *

After sending Rider away, making final discussions with the others, going for a quick meal, and dismissing her Homunculus escorts, Celenike trotted into her Workshop with a spring in her step. This was actually an opportunity. She'd track down Potter, subdue him, and take her time with him. She stopped by her Workshop, little more than a dungeon, to ready the facilities there. She sensed a presence in the shadows, but dismissed it as being a Homunculus. Hmm, maybe she could torture and rape one to death as an appetiser? But then, she heard a single hissed word.

"_Crucio._"

The pain she felt was exquisite. To almost anyone else, it would have been unbearable agony. To Celenike, who, while not quite a masochist, did get off on the strangest things, well…her screams, muffled by the Bounded Field she herself put into place, were not mostly of pain, but of intense pleasure, and when the pain ended, a blush had come to her cheeks, and she was panting heavily. She whirled to where the voice was, only to be met with a pair of crimson, reptilian eyes set in a very familiar face.

What she felt next was even more disturbing, and yet still exquisite. She felt something rifling through her mind, before the mind withdrew. "I see," a high, sibilant voice spoke from the familiar face. "Hmm…the Homunculus…I would bet that it was Potter. I wondered why there was a vacant body ripe for me to take over."

"What do you mean?" Celenike chuckled in disbelief. "You're Potter."

"Oh, that? An easy mistake to make. Potter's not home, so…I've decided to use his body." And Celenike believed him. The mannerisms were too different.

"Oh? And who are you, then?"

"I am Lord Voldemort," he said. "Well, part of him, anyway. Now, I considered getting your allegiance…but I think earning your allegiance is going to be more trouble than its worth. I already have all I need to know from you, and your Servant will be useless." With that, his hand lashed out, and grabbed her by the neck. As she struggled against the sudden grip, he placed a finger on his lips as he throttled her…and then snapped her neck.

* * *

Voldemort looked down at the woman he just killed, and smirked. A shame, really. She was very much like Bellatrix. But he was doubtful he could tame her when time was of the essence. However, her mind proved useful enough.

He looked down at his body. There was something apt to taking Potter's, though he needed to draw upon its magic to regenerate some of the missing organs. Still, the information he got from her head was most enlightening.

With a smirk, he took one of Celenike's knives, and got ready to go to work. When this was over, nobody would claim the Holy Grail but him. Only Lord Voldemort deserved the power of a god. And he would ensure he got it by summoning a Servant…

**CHAPTER 14 ANNOTATIONS:**

**Oh dear. Voldemort is still around. Yes, that's the Scarcrux using Harry's body as a meatsuit. I actually decided on that late into writing this, so I wrote in a few scenes here and there to foreshadow it. I realised that I am yet to actually write a story where Voldemort goes for the Grail (****_Zabaniya_**** aside)…so this is it.**

**I actually had in mind a few bits of dialogue from the 1996 ****_Doctor Who_**** TV Movie, particularly those regarding the Master. In fact, the scene where Voldemort snaps Celenike's neck while shushing her is pretty much what the Master does to the wife of the man whose body he took over.**

**Review-answering time! ****Dragon Man 180****: Sieg is pretty central to the story of ****_Fate/Apocrypha_****, but having him changed around or substituted for actually helps the story in some regards. The biggest upshot is that Siegfried doesn't bite the dust, at least at this point. It also means Jeanne is less distracted by her feelings for Sieg, and may be less vulnerable to Shakespeare's NP as a result.**

**ZLC genesmith****: While you have a point, Dragon Man 180 didn't bring up Salter.**

**No numbered annotations this time.**


	16. Chapter 15: Luna's Trap

**CHAPTER 15:**

**LUNA'S TRAP**

Luna had decided to climb onto the roof of the house that night. It was a nice night out, after all, and the Moon was hanging in the sky in a lovely way. And while it was dangerous, Luna had an instinct for what was dangerous and what wasn't, and while that did make her seem rather blithe and blind to danger, in truth, she had more sense of danger than, say, Hagrid, though he admittedly set the bar pretty low. And given that she was a veteran of battle against Death Eaters, she could defend herself.

Luna looked up at the Moon. So strange that it seemed the same to their own world, despite it being, well, a parallel world. And apparently that nice old vampire Zelretch had fought the very first vampire who came from the Moon. You'd think it'd look different. Maybe a couple of craters were different, but it looked largely the same.

Luna sighed to herself. Harry had gone through hell in the year or so since he fell through the Veil. Tortured, experimented upon, and now, he was holding the leash of an alien superweapon that was actually Attila the Hun. Not that what they went through was any picnic. It took Harry's apparent demise for Dumbledore to get off his arse and actually be more effective. The end result was that Voldemort was gone, not for good until Dumbledore dealt with whatever was keeping the Dark Lord alive, but…well, hopefully, this time, it would be for good.

Luna, however, was feeling lonely. True, she had friends. But she wanted someone who was like her. Unafraid to go beyond the bounds of reason or sense, and enjoy one's self in the process. It wasn't like guys or girls like that just dropped out of the sky, though.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she suddenly heard a scream of pain above. She looked up to see a rather pretty pink-haired girl dressed in a black, short-skirted dress and a white cape plummeting through the air towards her. Thinking quickly, she cast a Levitation Charm…which only slowed her descent, not stopping it.

Thankfully, the slowed descent meant that Luna could all but catch the girl when she landed. Oh, wait, her Luna senses were tingling. This was not a girl, but a rather fetching young man dressed like a girl. A crossdresser, a trap, and a rather scrumptious-looking one too. She resisted the urge to squeeze that scrumptious rear with an effort.

The newcomer stirred, his eyes opening. "Oh, hey," he said. "Sorry about dropping in on you like this, but I just got this huge surge of pain up my link from my Master, and, well, it caused me to dismiss my mount inadvertently. I'm Rider of Black. Now, I know I was above the right house when it happened, so, I'm guessing you're with the Masters of Rider and Saber of Red, and Assassin of Black?"

"Yes," Luna said. "So, why are you here?"

Rider opened his mouth, only for his eyes to suddenly widen with horror. "Oh crap," he groaned. "My link with my Master's just been severed. Look, I come in peace, okay, but I'm gonna need a new Master if I want to avoid fading away."

Luna looked into his eyes, and smiled. She sensed a kindred spirit, with a theoretically unerring instinct, in Rider. "…Would you object to having me as your Master?"

Rider blinked. "What, just like that?"

"Well…do you want to go back to Yggdmillennia?"

"…To be frank, not particularly," Rider confessed. "My Master was all kinds of nope, strapping me to a rack and…_licking me_." He shuddered. "I'm not an ice cream, dammit! She had this weird S&M kink going on, and while I'm okay with it as long as it's sane, safe and consensual…yeah, I reckon she would have used a Command Seal to rape me, and I am NOT okay with that! Plus, the only guys I liked there, besides Saber and Archer, were the Forvedges. Berserker didn't like me, Lancer is scary, and Caster was creepy. Besides…it's not like I was chosen as a Servant because I'm strong. I reckon my Master wanted a sex doll or something."

Luna peered at him, before nodding. "Then I'll be your Master. Welcome to the team, Rider…"

* * *

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose as Luna showed off her latest acquisition. He didn't like being woken up so early at the best of times. He didn't even know who Astolfo was until Luna explained.

However, what Astolfo told them had them staring at the crossdressing Rider in shock. "Lancer of Red attacked Ruler?" Tonks asked.

"Well, yeah. True, I only heard it from Saber and that tubby Master of his," Astolfo said. "But apparently, Lancer was attacking Ruler, who was…Jeanne d'Arc, I think?"

Altera frowned in thought. "Shirou claimed that Lancer's Master, Feend vor Sembren, didn't like the idea of Ruler looking over his shoulder. But that does sound rather convenient, especially as we haven't seen any of the other Masters of the Red Faction."

"But if the priest is faking it, why did he allow Harry to go with my Master?" Mordred asked.

"A double bluff. Shirou probably holds some good will towards Harry, but if he is actually playing us, he probably sent Harry with us to allow him to work his little scam in peace," Kairi said.

"That makes sense," Remus said. "But it could also be that he is not our enemy, and that the silence of the other Magi is due to them working in isolation. We just don't know, and going up to Shirou and demanding the answers won't work."

"Heyyy…you look kinda familiar, Rider of Red…" Astolfo said, peering at Altera. "I mean, Saber of Black said you were Attila the Hun, but…" Suddenly, he snapped his fingers. "That's right. I saw a mural that looked a lot like you in some big cave in the Alps! I was on an expedition with Charlie! Same weird patterns on your skin!"

"Charlie?" Mordred asked.

"I think he means Charlemagne," Hermione said. "Astolfo was one of the 12 Paladins of Charlemagne, remember?"

"It's a long story," Altera declared, looking at Astolfo. "However, there is something concerning about the story he just told us. Namely, that Harry's body had disappeared from the tank it was in, and that this was surprising to Yggdmillennia. In addition, Astolfo's Master was killed soon afterwards. I do not believe this to be coincidence."

Sirius nodded. "You've got that right. You said that this Justeaze woman, the one inside the Grail, transferred Harry's soul into that Homunculus body, right? And Fawkes recognised his magic, even while keeping out of sight of you guys, and Phoenixes can't be fooled like that. But…a thought just occurred to me. I've been going over what Dumbledore thinks kept Voldemort alive, what little he divulged, and I did a lot of study in the Black family library. Out of everything that could have kept him alive…we think it might have been a Horcrux. Well, lots of them."

"A what?" Harry asked.

"A phylactery," Remus explained. "A soul container. I've only heard some things through my own studies, but it would explain why Dumbledore had us use that specific detection spell on you. It's only used in certain circumstances, and a Horcrux is one of them."

"So what exactly are they? What's so bad about them?" Mordred asked.

"I only know the broad details," Remus said. "Apparently, you first undergo a particularly vile ritual to prepare your soul. Then, you go and kill someone in cold blood. That act of murder, combined with the preparatory ritual, splits your soul, and you can put half of your soul into an object, thus acting as…"

"An anchor to this plane," Kairi said. "I get the picture. Lord El-Melloi II once told me of a case he did recently where Ernest Fargo bound himself to his house to make himself immortal."

"Here's the kicker," Remus said. "I don't think Voldemort would have contented himself with a single Horcrux. I think he made several."

"But why would Voldemort make Harry into a Horcrux?" Tonks asked. "It doesn't make sense."

"He was probably planning to make one with Harry's death, Dora. If he's done it as many times as I suspect, his soul might be…no, is in a fragile state. The Diary was a Horcrux. Dumbledore confirmed it was one of those things he used to stay in this realm. Now, imagine that the Horcrux wasn't destroyed when Harry changed bodies. Imagine it remained there. Now, it's unlikely that such a small fragment of soul would be enough to animate a body, but Voldemort was tenacious and powerful. It should be impossible, but…"

"The upshot is, which sounds utterly fucking insane," Harry said, "is that a fragment of Voldemort's soul has been in my scar since he murdered my parents, and Dumbledore hasn't done anything about it, and now, and this is the insane part, is walking around in my body?"

"It's only speculation, Harry," Remus pointed out. "I really hope that it isn't the case. Fawkes could tell your magic and thus your soul was yours when he tracked you, so we know you're you. But…"

"If it really is Voldemort, we really are in trouble," Sirius scowled. "If he gets a hold of the Holy Grail…what do you think he would do with it? Either way, it can't be good. And the problem is, we don't know for sure. Only…Astolfo, do you think someone in Yggdmillennia killed your Master?"

"The only one who'd have done so was Darnic," Astolfo pointed out. "The others were either scared of her, or, like that Roche kid, wouldn't have cared. Then again, she bragged that she loved to torture and kill any spare Homunculi she could. Maybe one of them rebelled. But…that pain…it's like my bones were on fire."

Harry blinked, realising that resembled the sensation he felt while under the Cruciatus. "If your theory is true, Remus, and Voldemort has summoned a Servant…then what kind of Servant would it be? There are two teams of seven Servants already, to say nothing of two Rulers…can Voldemort summon another Servant?"

"That's the million Galleon question right there, Harry," Remus said. "We know that there are seven main Servant classes, not including Ruler. But maybe there are more…"

* * *

"_Heed my words. My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny. If you heed the Grail's call, and obey my will and reason, then answer my summoning! I hereby swear that I shall be all the good in the world, that I shall defeat all evil in the world! Seventh Heaven clad, and the great words of power, come forth from the circle of bindings, Guardian of the Scales!_"

Voldemort felt his magic surge into life within the dungeon, the summoning circle scrawled in Celenike's blood. The circle began to flare with a dark purple light, more like an absence of light that was tinted and tainted. He could feel something resisting his call, trying to block it, but he forced through his magic by sheer force of will.

He didn't know it, but Justeaze hadn't realised that the last lingering fragments of mana within Harry's body was a soul fragment, though to be honest, she could be excused for being preoccupied with ensuring Harry's soul transferred to another body. Plus, this Horcrux was less than a percent of his original soul. That it managed to become functional was a miracle, or at least a testament to Voldemort's tenacity and willpower.

And by the time she realised what had happened, and that he was trying to summon a Servant when all the others had been, it was too late. He had simply hijacked the ritual by sheer force of will…and summoned an atypical Servant. A Servant belonging to the same class her own family considered summoning during the Third Holy Grail War. Avenger.

But unlike the von Einzberns, who had intended to use Angra Mainyu as Avenger as a calculated act designed to give them victory (and, in other timelines, came back to bite them hard in the arse), Voldemort had chosen the class instinctively. Avengers were wrath and hatred embodied, just like Voldemort was. What he couldn't dominate, he destroyed. And the more autonomous functions of the Greater Grail, which Justeaze was too late to try and thwart, decided that there was an Avenger Servant that suited Voldemort very much.

A dark pillar of energy belched into the ceiling. And as it faded, Voldemort beheld his Servant, and exulted. Most people would cower in fear or despair, but all Voldemort could think as he looked upon her was that she was perfect.

She was a tall, utterly beautiful woman, with long tresses of purple hair growing from her scalp. Her figure was beautiful, even if her breasts were somewhat on the large side, and dressed in skimpy robes. She seemed like a goddess.

But she was clearly inhuman. Her hair changed into snake-like heads that hissed at him viciously. From her rear, a long, sensuous snake tail protruded, while her arms and legs were scaly and reptilian. A rigid visor was worn across her eyes.

"Hmph. Servant Avenger has answered your summons, mortal," the woman said, her voice echoing slightly. "We shall use each other for our own ends, and to whose untimely demise that will be, well, we shall see, won't we?"

Voldemort could have bristled at this haughty dismissal, but he knew who she was straight away. In Parseltongue, he said, "_We will indeed, Lady Medusa._"

Despite her eyes being hidden behind the visor, he got the impression she was surprised…though not in a good way. She merely scoffed. "_Medusa…a name best forgotten. If you must call me by any name, then call me __**Gorgon**_…"

**CHAPTER 15 ANNOTATIONS:**

**Oh dear. Astolfo has joined the good guys…but now, Voldemort's drawn his own Servant. Yes, I know, I did the same thing for ****_Zabaniya_****, but there are few Servants so utterly suited to him than Gorgon.**

**Anyway, this is the last chapter I have written so far. The next chapter might be a while, but I have written nearly half of it already, so it might be out sooner. No guarantees, though…**

**Review-answering time! ****Casuar****: How? In canon, Jeanne only succumbed to First Folio's influence when Shakespeare and Gilles pointed out the contradictions between her loving all humanity (and thus being an entirely objective referee for the Grail War) and her specific love and thus bias for Sieg. Until then, while a little shaken by what she saw in First Folio, she was able to withstand it.**

**No numbered annotations this time.**


	17. Chapter 16: Meetings

**CHAPTER 16:**

**MEETINGS**

Darnic was surprised to find Harry Potter sitting at a table within Yggdmillennia's kitchens, eating a rather substantial portion of food. He'd received the report from a Homunculus after his meeting with Chiron and Fiore (and wasn't that disturbing?), so, with some trepidation and caution, he brought Vlad III with him. And yet, the sight of the teenager tucking into a rather hearty _tochitură_ stew was surreal…until Darnic saw his eyes. Not the emerald of Potter, but rather, crimson and reptilian.

So, his first words to him were not some demand to return to confinement, or some pithy observation about the food. Instead, Darnic asked an insightful question. "Who are you?"

Potter, or the one using his body, looked up from his meal. "Interesting. You already know I am not Potter. Then again, the eyes are rather conspicuous. I should get that fixed. Looking intimidating is all very well, but one needs to have times to look normal enough. I know who you are, Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia. Potter's memories were most instructive. I saw what he went through, before he vacated the premises. He's still alive, though, and I am sure that Homunculus that escaped has him within."

Darnic frowned. "You did not answer my question."

"Nor am I obligated to. For one thing, I am in dire need of food, as this body has subsisted on magically-enhanced, nutrient-laced breathing liquid. I'm glad that your Homunculi know how to cook _tochitură_. I visited this country a number of times back in my world, usually on the way to other countries, but still…about the only good things Muggles are for is cuisine. In more ways than one." Potter's body forked some meat from the stew into his mouth. "You know, that fat oaf of a Homunculus maker…he obviously spares no expense in teaching your Homunculi good skills, I'll give him that much."

"Darnic asked you a question," Vlad said coldly. "I'd suggest you answer."

The entity in Potter's body scoffed. "I want to eat a meal first. Can I at least savour that first? I am breaking in these taste buds into actual cuisine. This brat loves treacle tart and ice cream, of all things. Not a bad thing to enjoy, he has good taste, and unlike his Muggle relatives, he actually understands what moderation is. But…" Suddenly, stakes burst out of the table, forming a tent over the bowl. "…_Really?_ You are that impatient? Very well then. I am Lord Voldemort. Now, can I finish my meal?"

Vlad dissolved the stakes he had formed with his Noble Phantasm, Kazikli Bey. Darnic sat down opposite the one claiming to be Voldemort. "How curious. If I recall what information I got from Potter, you were nowhere near him when he fell through the Veil, whatever that is."

"That is because I am not the main Voldemort. I won't bother telling you the details, I'd prefer to keep some secrets, but the short version is, I made a mistake that led to part of me latching onto his body. Bloody redhaired Mudblood slattern thinks she was so clever…" He spooned more of the stew into his mouth, finishing it off, before belching rather heartily. "Ah, well…pardon my rudeness. A new body is something to get used to. Some of his flippancy and childishness is affecting me too. I guess it's because his brain is still here. The mind is a plaything of the body, isn't that what Nietzsche said? Still…I suppose you want to get down to business. So, I should start off with the fact that I killed that Celenike woman. Normally, I would have tried to suborn her, she is so much like one of my own underlings, but gaining her allegiance would have taken too much time, and she was a liability anyway, to you and to me. She was going to command Astolfo to attack the people he was going to see."

Darnic scowled. If Voldemort was telling the truth, then Celenike intended to betray him, presumably out of spite. "And how can you know that?"

"Legilimency, mind-reading if you want to be boring," Voldemort said. "I snapped her neck, a quicker death than she deserved, but I wanted to be quick. Hopefully, Astolfo will run out of mana before he can be taken by any other faction, but even if he did…I decided to see if I could summon a Servant myself. One more powerful and reliable than Astolfo. I succeeded."

Darnic frowned. He wasn't exactly sorry that Celenike was dead, though he hoped that Voldemort was correct, that Astolfo would run out of mana before he could be contracted to another Master. Though he had to wonder what Servant Voldemort had summoned. "I presume you want command of Yggdmillennia?"

Voldemort scoffed. "I'm not an idiot, not like my original self was. Merlin, he was so full of himself and his own self-importance. I have one Servant, while Yggdmillennia, without Astolfo, have five. You are all magic users going against the status quo imposed by a group of antediluvian fossils who have no idea what true greatness is. I _like_ that. So, for now, I am going to go for an alliance. And if you're worried about me stabbing you in the back, well, I'm surprised you aren't worried about the ambitions of any of your followers. Then again, Celenike is dead, and by all accounts, the others seem to be loyal. In any case, I think both the Red Faction and this…breakaway group are of considerable concern. The latter may have Potter if what I suspect is true, and that Homunculus is him. As for the Red Faction…I saw in Celenike's memories that the only Masters from the Red Faction that have been spotted recently have been that Homunculus and Kairi Sisigou. That's rather odd, don't you think? Especially as you haven't been able to pin down the coordinator sent by the Church."

"I do have his name through the few contacts I have in Clock Tower. Shirou Kotomine," Darnic said. "The little information I have suggests that he is the adopted son of Risei Kotomine, and adopted brother of Kirei Kotomine. He is sure to be an Executor of the Burial Agency at the bare minimum, if not working for the Eighth Sacrament as well. They're the Church's tomb raiders, sent to retrieve holy relics. The Eighth Sacrament have had an interest in the Holy Grail, despite it not actually being the cup of Jesus Christ."

Voldemort scowled in annoyance. "Is this lack of information normal?"

"No. The Vatican probably believe him to be their trump card, which is probably why there is a lack of information, due to them engaging in information control. Most of what I can say about him is inference, given that his adopted family are considerably better known. I met Risei Kotomine during the Third Holy Grail War, and he was certainly not one to be trifled with. Aside from the usual training Executors go through, he also knows a considerably lethal version of Bajiquan, a Chinese martial art. And Executors often go after Magi. Which means he is not an opponent that can be underestimated."

Voldemort scoffed slightly. "Perhaps. But then again, neither is my Servant. Come out, please, Avenger."

Darnic frowned. Avenger? That was one of the potential extra classes that he learned about from the von Einzbern's writings on the Holy Grail Wars, the ones he seized from that Homunculus' possessions. And then…Avenger materialised. A buxom woman melded with a snake with wings and claws, her long purple hair forming into vicious snake heads. Darnic could feel the power radiating off her in waves, and while Astolfo may have had the edge in versatility, he knew that this Servant had the crossdressing Paladin of Charlemagne beaten in terms of power and malice.

He also had a fairly good idea whom she was. The hair becoming snake heads, the visor covering her eyes, the reptilian elements, the divinity…if this wasn't the Gorgon formerly known as Medusa, he'd be surprised.

The woman scrutinised them from beneath the visor covering her eyes. Her first observation was to Vlad III. "So, you are Vlad Tepes, infamous as the Impaler. One who became a monster to protect those he held dear, like I did, striking fear into allies and enemies alike, only to be betrayed, you by your own brother, and I by my own nature." While her tone was haughty, there was something strangely…wistful in her tone. As if she understood him. Even sympathised with him, insomuch as the infamous Gorgon could.

"You've handled yourself well, Gorgon, in not retaliating when I used my Noble Phantasm to stop your Master from eating," Vlad observed.

Gorgon chuckled mirthlessly. "Having been hunted by so-called heroes throughout my existence, I have a good sense for killing intent towards myself and others. In addition, you exude power. Being summoned on your native soil agrees with you. I know when to pick my battles. I am a monster, not a base beast. However, know that any substantial threat to my Master's person, or my own, will be repaid with interest."

"The same can be said of myself and my Master," Vlad said coldly.

"In any case, it seems that your nemesis may have summoned a potentially more powerful Servant than we bargained for," Darnic said. "Our Archer spoke to me. He believes Rider of Red, also known as Altera or Attila the Hun, is an avatar for Sephyr."

Voldemort frowned in incomprehension, but Gorgon drew in a sudden hiss of breath. If her eyes were visible, Darnic was sure they'd be wide in shock. "The White Titan of Velber? Impossible…she was sealed away!"

"Our Archer finds it hard to believe, but the Sword of Mars, Photon Ray, is distinctive enough," Darnic said. "I found that rather odd. Velber and its heralds are destructive entities, and yet, Rider of Red's predisposition appears to be somewhat less destructive."

"Perhaps she conceals her true purpose," Vlad observed. "She may wish to be free from her shackles. But which ones? The ones the World imposed on her, or Velber's? Potter doesn't seem like the sort to indulge in unnecessary destruction, after all, and it seems that, despite everything you did to the boy, that hasn't changed. Otherwise, he would have unleashed her on this castle."

"Potter and his Servant are indeed a great threat, but far from an insurmountable one," Voldemort declared. "The priest you mentioned is perhaps a greater one, if only because we don't know enough about him and his Servant. Still…I am confident of victory."

_But whose victory?_ Darnic thought. _Yours or mine?_ He didn't trust Voldemort one inch. Celenike was a loose cannon whose loyalty to him was far from absolute (even Gordes, as pompous and opinionated as he was, was loyal), but she was also a known quantity. Voldemort wasn't. All Darnic knew of him was what Harry had told him about him, before Darnic decided Harry was better as a guinea pig and possible new body. He was already dangerous. With an Avenger, doubly so.

But Darnic was a pragmatist, and he hoped this Voldemort was too. That way, he knew that the dagger coming for his back wouldn't be planted into it until after the battle was done. Then again, you couldn't be too careful. He needed to find some sort of countermeasure to Voldemort and Avenger soon…

* * *

Harry and Altera were having…well, a date, having a nice meal at a café in Sighişoara. While Shirou had encouraged them to have one before, it wasn't quite one. Here…Harry felt that it was closer to one, oddly enough.

He didn't know it, but he and Altera shared many of the same feelings and concerns about their relationship. He was an eighteen year old wizard who now had a Homunculus body, she was a millennia-old destroyer of worlds who ended up becoming Attila the Hun for a time. And yet, he found himself caring for her, wanting to see her happy.

Maybe it was Velber's influence influencing her into tricking him, but he couldn't truly believe that. Altera was no willing destroyer. As Sephyr, she did it because Velber had her dangling from its strings. As Attila the Hun, she did so because she knew nothing different. But Altera…she had come to regret what she did. All she wanted was to live a life of her choice, outside of imprisonment and the influence of Velber.

In a way, Harry sympathised. Much of his life had been stage-managed, in hindsight. True, so was his involvement in the Holy Grail War and his commanding Altera's avatar as a Servant…but in truth, he would have done so anyway, to prevent the likes of Darnic or Celenike from getting their hands on the fully-primed Grail. At least Justeaze, once she made herself known, explained what she knew, unlike that old bastard Dumbledore. Even if Dumbledore meant it with the best of intentions, Harry felt his life had gotten royally sodomised as a result.

Would he go back to his homeworld? Probably not. Leaving aside the problems of explaining away what happened to him, if he couldn't win this Grail War, he wanted to stay, to try and find another solution to removing Velber's influence from Altera. His friends…well, some of them were still alive, Voldemort was gone (Sirius and Remus' theories notwithstanding, and those were scary enough), and Harry…had had enough of Magical Britain. Enough of being treated as a messiah one moment, and as a pariah the next.

He was so caught up in his thoughts, he didn't realise Altera had stiffened until she hissed, "Harry."

He looked up, and she flicked her crimson eyes outside the café. He looked out the window. Nobody familiar stood out…but then, he realised he could see someone watching them. A girl in her late teens, wearing what looked like a school uniform, with long blonde hair. Her purple eyes were peering at them with scrutiny.

"Who is that?" Harry asked.

"…A Servant," Altera said, as the girl then began walking towards the café. "But I do not believe that is one of Yggdmillennia's. We have seen Saber, Berserker, Rider and Assassin, I have seen Archer from a distance, Lancer is Vlad Tepes, and while she may be a Caster…I don't think she is. And that is not a Spiritron body like a standard Servant. I think she's a Pseudo-Servant. Which means…"

The girl had entered the café by this point, and had sat down at their table. "Forgive the interruption," she said, her voice tinged with a French accent. "You are with the Red Faction, yes?"

"…We used to be," Harry said. "We're sort of our own group now, with the former Rider and Assassin of Black. And who are you?"

"_Désolé_," the girl said, giving a bit of a sheepish smile. "I didn't mean to be rude, but I have been seeking answers ever since I have been summoned, and I was a little wary of approaching another Red Faction member, as I was attacked earlier by the Lancer of Red. My name is Jeanne d'Arc, and I am the appointed Ruler Servant of this Holy Grail War. And if you do not mind, I have some questions I would like answered, please."

"…I think we all do," Harry said, part of his mind numbed to the fact that he was speaking to Joan of Arc. "Because I think we have an answer to at least one of your questions…"

**CHAPTER 16 ANNOTATIONS:**

**So, there you have it. Harry and Altera have met Jeanne d'Arc, at long last. Oh, and Voldemort is making alliances and eating meals. That scene in particular, I realised, was subconsciously inspired by a scene from the ****_Doctor Who_**** novel ****_The Romance of Crime_****, where the main villain Xais goes to meet her allies in the Nisbett brothers. Charlie Nisbett is eating a steak meal at the time, and Xais is rather annoyed at that, though she tolerates it until he's finished.**

**Also, making Voldemort saner wasn't quite what I intended, but it actually makes him more interesting. And dangerous. Just chalk it up to him having only a fragment of a soul and being stuck in Harry's body, and thus dealing with the hollow remains of Harry's memories and personality.**

**Anyway, don't expect the next chapter out for a while.**

**Review-answering time! ****Dragon Man 180****: Actually, they're very compatible. This Voldemort, as shown above, is saner, and what's more, he's actually quite enamoured with her. Not in a lustful way, though he does feel some lust for her, but rather, he loves her as an embodiment of cruelty and destruction. She is probably one of the few beings he would respect, and he wouldn't see her as dispensable, a rarity for him. Conversely, Gorgon recognises this respect, and relishes the destruction and cruelty he will lead her to. He is a monster, he doesn't care that she is a monster, and so, they have a strong accord.**

**Skull Flame****: Few Servants would be compatible with him. Virtually of them would be have to be outright evil. Jalter, Bluebeard, Moriarty, Hessian Lobo, Cu Chulainn Alter, Carmilla…you get the idea. Although I used Gorgon for ****_Zabaniya_****, I chose her for this story for two good reasons. Compatibility, and the fact that the normal classes were already filled.**

**WearyCurmudgeon****: Brynhild, the version from the Volsung Saga rather than the Nibelungenlied, is indeed a character in the Nasuverse, appearing as the Lancer in one of the stories of ****_Fate/Prototype_****, as well as a Servant in the game ****_Fate/Grand Order_****. She appears to be a lugubrious woman with extremely pale skin and hair, but is definitely NOT a Saberface. Also, keep in mind, Brynhild tries to kill the one she loves. While this generally means Sigurd, in ****_Fate/Grand Order_****, this actually extends to other Servants, including Siegfried. These are Servants who are affected more by her NP, Brynhild Romantia, and given the 'Loved One' trait.**

**No numbered annotations this time.**


	18. Chapter 17: Revelations

**CHAPTER 17:**

**REVELATIONS**

Harry had asked Jeanne to wait until they had everyone else present in their little group for her. While technically, they only needed Kairi and Mordred, Harry wanted the backup of his friends and allies. Not for any fight: Jeanne had made it very clear that, as long as she wasn't attacked, she would give them the benefit of the doubt for Karna's actions.

In the meantime, Harry actually learned more about her. He was disturbed to find out that Jeanne was possessing a French teenager, though she assured him that the possession was consensual, and that Laeticia Delacroix's body was protected. She also had special abilities as a Ruler, including the ability to discern the identity and some of the abilities of a Servant, though when pressed, Jeanne didn't seem to know who Altera was, beyond being Attila the Hun. For now, Harry opted to avoid telling her about Sephyr. The Ruler might react badly. Ditto anything about Justeaze.

Soon, the others were gathered, they reconvened in a park, and Harry and Altera told her an edited form of their stories, with the others interjecting or confirming certain things. They saved the revelation of Shirou's true identity until the very end. Harry had to admit, her expression of shock was amusing, despite the seriousness of the situation.

"…_Mon Dieu_," she murmured. "That…explains a lot. Another Ruler, one left over from the Third Holy Grail War. And you believe he may have been behind Karna's attack on my person?"

"Perhaps," Altera said. "Shirou did claim that Feend vor Sembren wasn't fond of a Ruler being involved, so while it may have been Shirou engaging in misdirection, he may also have been telling the truth. However, none of the other Red Faction Masters have been seen by their respective Servants, which is suspicious enough."

"Yeah," Astolfo said, crossing his arms. "Even Yggdmillennia's Masters made an effort to interact with their Servants, though I don't really want to think about my ex-Master's interactions with me. Do I look like an ice cream?"

"With that pink hair, yes. You look like strawberry," Luna said. "Though you're more pudding than ice cream."

Jeanne frowned. "That is admittedly suspicious. And you have no idea what Shirou Amakusa Tokisada's motives may be?"

"We thought that maybe the Vatican decided to take custody of the Greater Grail," Kairi said. "The Eighth Sacrament may have commissioned him to do so. His adoptive father and brother have worked for them, after all. When I realised who he is, I also got scared, thought that we might have a repeat of _Makai Tensho_ on our hands."

"Makai what?" Hermione asked.

"It's a book by Futaro Yamada," Kairi said. "It's about an undead army being raised, including many historical figures. Shirou Amakusa Tokisada is one of them, and in many adaptations, he's actually the main villain(1). Then again, he didn't seem like that sort of guy, to take revenge for what happened at the Shimabara Rebellion. Which makes him all the more dangerous, because we don't know what he wants."

"In addition, there's the Noble Phantasm of Semiramis," Harry said. "We don't know what it is, or what it's capable of, but…"

"I believe I do know, actually," Jeanne said pensively. "As an Assassin, Semiramis's trump card is the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. She can, with enough resources and time put into a special ritual, create a massive flying fortress. But the amount of money and materials needed is mind-boggling. Then again, if Shirou has been around since the Third Holy Grail War, he has doubtlessly had enough time to gather them, and it's highly unlikely he will have the ritual performed anywhere near the church where he has his base of operations. I will have to head to the church before too long. Even if he isn't there anymore, any clues I can find to his whereabouts and plans will be helpful. Of course, what you said about your former body is disturbing enough, Harry."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"…Last night…I received a vision. One of my skills is Revelation, a form of divine vision that gives me insights. It was how I tracked you and Rider of Red down," Jeanne said. "It would have been some time after Rider of Black…"

"Rider of Pudding," Luna declared. "That is his new designation."

"…His new…?" Jeanne said, looking Astolfo up and down, before she flushed, apparently in some sort of embarrassment. "Ah. I…uh…"

"Yeah, it's one of my skills. I can make my gender a secret if I want to," Astolfo said with a smirk and a wink. "Well, unless I'm not wearing anything."

"…He shouldn't be that cute," Sirius muttered. "There should be a law against it."

"But _we're_ cute," Jackie protested.

"…Anyway, the revelation I received was soon after you lost your link with your original Master, Rider of…_Pudding_," Jeanne said, giving Luna and Astolfo a look. "I didn't see much, but I did see a boy with dark hair and crimson, snake-like eyes, and a monstrous woman. I don't know their identities, but…the woman was a Servant…and an Avenger, at that."

"Avenger?" Kairi mused. "Never heard of that class."

"The template exists within the Greater Grail, even if it wasn't used until now, along with others like Alter Ego and Foreigner," Jeanne explained. "Avenger is the polar opposite to my class, a Heroic Spirit of vengeance. They are vicious and tenacious."

"Shirou told us that the von Einzberns originally intended to summon an Avenger," Altera mused. "Specifically, Angra Mainyu. Ruler…what will you do?"

"…Try to seek out my fellow Ruler and try to reason with him, assuming he is the one behind Karna's attack on my person. It is not the prerogative of the dead to rule the living, despite our class' title. If he isn't behind it, then I intend to find out what his intentions are for the Grail regardless."

Kairi scowled. "Yeah, well, good luck with that. Before you got us together, I got a message from the priest. He's got Semiramis' Noble Phantasm ready for an assault on Trifas tonight. He wants us and our allied Servants to help out. He didn't give any clue as to where he was either."

"Though he probably knows we have met already," Altera said, looking over at where some pigeons were watching them nearby. "Semiramis uses pigeons as familiars. While we cannot be certain that those are her familiars…"

"They may know I am searching for them, and that I know that Shirou Amakusa Tokisada is a Servant," Jeanne mused. "Still…I thank you for your help. As a Ruler Servant, I am meant to be a neutral adjudicator. However, this Grail War is already a mess, and I appreciate the help. Especially with such a motley group of Servants. Tonks…are you fine with having one such as Assassin as a Servant?"

"…Look, I'm an Auror, and being the Master to an infamous serial killer isn't exactly my idea of fun, especially as she's also some sort of freaky gestalt, but…she's just a kid, she needs someone to give her a moral compass, and she's latched onto me as a mother. And I'm pretty much married to a werewolf. Plus, we're in this Grail War to try and get Harry out of it, not to win the Grail. If that means we have to stop Darnic _and_ Shirou, then that's fine. I want to give Assassin the chance nobody gave her in life: to have a childhood. Even if we can't use the Grail, I'm fine with having her as a familiar or whatever you call it. She deserves to live a life where cutting open the guts of unfortunate prostitutes isn't her way to maternal love. Not that those women deserved that anyway."

"No…I suppose not. I can see what she is," Jeanne said solemnly. "Those children comprising her should have gone to their rest long ago…but…if you believe you can make her happy and loved…I hope you succeed. However, I must go to see if I can track down Shirou Amakusa Tokisada."

"And what of Yggdmillennia experimenting upon Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Officially, that does not fall within my purview," Jeanne said. "My role is to act as a neutral arbitrator for this Grail War, and should I favour one side or another without due cause, I will have failed. However, know that I personally find such matters, as well as how Darnic extends his life, to be completely and utterly abhorrent, and I would not blame you for putting an end to Darnic. I would do the same myself if it were not for my duties and obligations as Ruler. And if your former Master, Rider of Pudding, is dead, then it is the wages of her cruelty. But there may be a line Darnic will cross that will require me to take more direct action. As for Shirou Amakusa Tokisada, I wish to discern his motives first before passing judgement, though his status as a Ruler himself, as well as the possibility of his suborning the other Masters and attacking me, puts the validity of his participation into severe doubt. However, he is aware of this, and if he has suborned the Red Faction, he has command over five Servants…sorry, four, with Berserker now dead or captured. I believe it to be the latter. If he has suborned the Red Faction…then he may desire the Greater Grail, something a Ruler should not do."

"You have no desire, no wish of your own?" Altera asked.

"None that I would want the Grail for. As a Ruler, my only desire is for the Holy Grail War to be conducted in a befitting manner. As Jeanne d'Arc, I am grateful for the chance to live once more, even if only temporarily," Jeanne said. "I died at a young age, after all, and while I willingly gave myself to God's embrace, I won't lie and say that I would have loved to have lived a little longer. But as a Ruler, I have no true desire for the Grail."

Noting Hermione looking like she was champing at the bit to ask Jeanne questions, Harry said, "I think that's probably it for now. I'm not sure what more information we can give you, Jeanne. I'm sure Hermione wants to ask you questions, she's probably curious about what your life was really like, but I don't think we've got anything further for you."

"What you have given me is more than enough, Harry, and I am truly grateful," the French saint said with a smile. "I wish you luck. If we have time, Hermione, I can regale you with tales from my life at a later date, but I'm afraid my duty requires me to be elsewhere. If I cannot find Shirou Amakusa Tokisada before he sends his forces to Trifas, then I am sure I will see you there…"

* * *

Shirou sighed quietly as he watched his fellow Ruler part ways from the little splinter faction on the screen Semiramis projected, a feed from the eyes of one of her familiars. He knew his alliance with Harry was a tentative and fragile one, given how economical with the truth he had been, but he didn't realise how soon it would fall apart. They were willing to give him some benefit of the doubt, but he knew that if they knew his true purpose, it would probably alienate them.

"Regretting not suborning him now?" Semiramis asked. It could have been wry and sardonic, her tone, but she was actually genuinely concerned.

"…I have many regrets, but while deceiving him is one, reaching out to him was not. I probably should have brought him to the Hanging Gardens, but I sent him with Kairi to alleviate his concerns. Still…I wonder what pain and suffering Harry has gone through. And there's another problem. My fellow Ruler's revelation is concerning, as indeed, my own Master's family had initially planned to summon Angra Mainyu as an Avenger. I shall have to check the Spirit Board to be absolutely certain. Also, keep in mind that, while they may not trust me wholly, they still do not know the full extent of my goals, so they still can be reasoned with, and in any case, they will want to face Yggdmillennia. Better that we have an advantage of sorts, especially with Spartacus now a captive of the enemy."

"That damnable playwright," Semiramis grumbled. "He set Berserker on Yggdmillennia for amusement. He loves to shake the tree and see what comes out, despite the fact that it may ruin our plans. I don't trust him."

"I do, if only because Shakespeare loves to see how a story progresses. His actions regarding Spartacus were regrettable, of course, but Yggdmillennia lack two of their Servants, Rider and Assassin. In addition, we have identified Saber of Black as Siegfried, while Atalanta believes Archer of Black to be a Greek like herself, and Altera's comments before she withdrew suggest that Archer of Black may be of divine parentage. And while Jack the Ripper's Information Erasure skill prevents one from retaining much information about her, we do know that she is young and female."

"Do you think they will help us out on our assault on Trifas?"

"I'm sure they will. The only ones they have any substantial reason to be wary of are the pair of us and, due to his attack on Ruler, Karna. They may still view the other Servants of the Red Faction with some wariness, but only due to them being wary of my controlling them. And in any case, they're still not sure whether my intentions are malign. Not to mention that Harry has more than enough reason to want to keep the Greater Grail out of the hands of Darnic. Darnic was one of his tormentors after all." Shirou closed his eyes. "A shame, though, that neither Harry nor Kairi may understand my goal. It's for their own good. Harry, of all people, would appreciate it when my plan comes to fruition…"

**CHAPTER 17 ANNOTATIONS:**

**So, there you have it. Jeanne has touched base with the splinter faction, and Shirou is beginning to regret his choices. But this is a story about his salvation, along with that of Harry and Altera. Dunno when the next chapter is coming out, but I hope you enjoyed it.**

**Review-answering time! Thanks for your praise as to how I portrayed 'Harrymort'. While Voldemort isn't a bad villain, he seems a little flat. I basically chucked elements from a number of other fictional villains in, though I sort of had, if not David Tennant's voice, then his cadence and tone while writing him, as Tennant makes a scary villain. True, I haven't really seen his turn as Barty Crouch Junior or as Kilgrave from Jessica Jones, but I have heard him play VERY unpleasant characters in the ****_Doctor Who_**** audio dramas done by Big Finish. I also thought of elements of Heath Ledger and Mark Hamill's Joker, toned down a bit, as well as a bit of Handsome Jack and a few elements of the various incarnations of the Master.**

**'Harrymort', however, is not exactly sane as much as ****_saner_****. He's recovered a bit more of his mental equilibrium than his canon self. He's still a sadistic megalomaniac who gets a hard-on from killing and torturing people, but he's less likely to lose his temper as quickly as Voldemort does, or at least his anger will be cold for the most part. He won't just hand out Unforgivables like candy at Halloween. He'll get ****_creative_**** when he is angry.**

**1\. ****_Makai Tensho_**** also provided the basis of the plot of the ****_Ninja Resurrection_**** OVAs, and, most tellingly for the Nasuverse, was also the basis of the plot of the Shimosa Pseudo-Singularity/Proto-Lostbelt in ****_Fate/Grand Order_****.**


	19. Chapter 18: Flagellum Dei

**CHAPTER 18:**

**FLAGELLUM DEI**

"Yo, Altera, I wanna word with you."

Altera looked at Mordred. The young Saber had all but dragged her away from the group, where they had gathered for the upcoming battle. "Then speak."

"…What advice can you give me?"

"Mordred, I'm not sure I understand. Advice about what?"

The blonde teenaged knight looked a little ill at ease. "…Look, we're more similar than, well, I thought. When you told us that crap about Velber and Sephyr…it took me a while to realise, but we're pretty similar. We know what it's like to be weapons, attack dogs straining at the leash of another. My handler was Morgan le Fay, and yours was Velber. How…how do you cope with that?"

"…It is hard," Altera admitted quite quickly. "Though in truth, I did not have much of a chance to cope. All that could rebel against Velber was subsumed by its influence at the time. And it was virtually the same way when my backup core was discovered by the Huns. They used me as a weapon, even as I was declared their king. My existence then was not as hollow as it was when I was under Velber's thrall…but it was still hollow. However, from what I gathered, you had a fairly fulfilling life as Arthur's knight, until your mother revealed your heritage to you. You had a better life than I, but Morgan's manipulations and Arthur's response to your desires led you to throw that away."

"Yeah, so?"

"Think of it from her viewpoint," Altera said. "Arthur…Arturia, learned that she had a child, you, by rape, and the rapist was her own half-sister. She may not have shown it, but imagine how shocking it would have been to her. Perhaps part of the reason she rejected you as her heir was because of that shock. But…did she reject you altogether as her child? I know not these answers, and as your father is not on this battlefield, we cannot ask her. However, never think that you have no worth as either a human being or as a warrior. I would be proud to have one such as yourself riding by my side in our armies."

"But as a king?" Mordred persisted.

"…I cannot answer that. What should a king be? A rapacious conqueror like I was? A stalwart defender of the people like Arturia was? Somewhere inbetween or outside of these views? However, a king should both defend and inspire their people. Your father did both at least, for her legacy lives on to this very day."

"And it killed Father by degrees, I could see it," Mordred said morosely.

Altera, after a moment, embraced Mordred. "Regardless of the answer to your question, you are a worthy warrior. And the blood on your hands doesn't stain as deeply as that on mine…"

* * *

"So, how are we going to be doing this?" Harry asked once Altera and Mordred had come back from their talk.

"Simple," Altera said. "Mordred and I will launch a direct assault on the enemy army. Meanwhile, I want Astolfo to protect you. Finally, I want you to send Jack to find any Masters who have taken to the field, and kill or disable where necessary."

"I'm not wholly convinced that'd happen," Astolfo said. "I mean, why would they leave the castle? They'd just send their Servants out to do the fighting." On their incredulous looks, he said, defensively, "What?"

"That made too much sense," Hermione pointed out. "I thought you were supposed to lack sense."

"Yeah, but I don't have no sense whatsoever."

"You still have a point, Astolfo," Altera said. "I had counted on the arrogance of the Magi, but it is more likely they would stay in the castle and let their Servants do the fighting."

"What about removing the Homunculi who are having their mana siphoned from the equation?" Kairi asked.

Altera shook her head. "Harry is the only one who has any idea where that facility is, and I did witness the memory of his escape through the Dream Cycle. He was more concerned with escaping than trying to make a map. Jack can infiltrate the Yggdmillennia castle, but she may not know where to go to deal with the Homunculi, and she may not know how to release the Homunculi without killing them. In addition, we cannot be sure about the defences in place against enemy Servants." She frowned, before the four Servants present whirled to face the one approaching. After a moment, Altera gestured at the other Servants. "Stand down. I do not believe he is hostile, are you, Lancer?"

The pale Servant was approaching from nearby. "Not to you," Karna said. "The priest sent me here to help let you know when the assault is to begin. Archer is going to use her Noble Phantasm against Yggdmillennia's army. After that, I shall go and seek out Lancer of Black, the one called Vlad Tepes. Our respective powers should be similar, despite his boost from his homeland. Though I have to ask, how did you recruit Rider and Assassin of Black to your side?"

"It's a long story," Harry said.

"Indeed," Altera said. "However, if I may, I would like to request that I make the opening attack. Archer's Noble Phantasm may be an Anti-Army, but I assure you, so is mine. In fact, I believe it will be an even more fitting opening to this Grail War."

"Oh?" Karna asked, raising an eyebrow, before his gaze turned to her sword. "Ah yes…the Sword of Mars, you said, when we spoke before you left with Sisigou and Saber. Mars, the Bringer of War…I too am blessed with a weapon from a war god, as you know, for Indra was a god of war. You need not worry about exposing my identity. Saber of Black's Master heard me reveal my true name." He closed his eyes for a period. Eventually, he opened them again. "Assassin of Red has relayed a message to me from her Master. Archer is willing to allow you the opening move, and so, Assassin and the priest have agreed. We will wait until they arrive. I heard that you fought Saber of Black, the one known as Siegfried."

Altera nodded. "We had met in life, but that was the first time we had clashed. I know not Berserker or Archer of Black's identities, though."

"The priest found information about the former. Caules Forvedge Yggdmillennia was found to have purchased the plans and notes of a certain scientist and alchemist by the name of Victor Frankenstein."

Harry blinked as he made the connection. "Wait a moment…Frankenstein's Monster was a cute young woman in a bridal dress?"

Altera frowned, as did Mordred. "Oi, Harry," Mordred said. "She's also a Homunculus. The Grail just filled us in. Apparently, Frankenstein wanted to make an Eve to bear his Adam, but, well, he freaked. Ugh, I know that feeling too well. Called her ugly." She seemed to take offence at the whole thing, and Harry remembered that Mordred was herself a Homunculus.

"…She was cute," Harry said flatly.

"Saber meant what you would call the Uncanny Valley," Altera said. "Frankenstein's creation had only the barest vestiges of sentience, and, initially, a lack of empathy. Even as she gained it, her resentment and despair over her creator's treatment led to her tragic end. And, presumably, to her current state as a Berserker Servant. As for Archer, he is most definitely part-divine, and a skilled bowman."

"What of Rider and Assassin of Black?" Karna asked. "The priest wants at least a short answer."

"Friends of mine intercepted the Master of Assassin as she was being summoned." Harry indicated Tonks, who had hoisted Jackie onto her shoulders. "As for Rider, his Master was murdered by an unknown party."

"And he's the Rider of Pudding now," Luna added.

"I see. Well, I'm sure we will welcome the extra help," Karna said, looking bemused by Luna's declaration. His eyes narrowed, and they followed his gaze to Yggdmillennia's castle, where an army, of Golems and Homunculi, spewed forth. Then, he looked overhead, and so did they.

Harry gaped at what he saw. It was a massive fortress, flying through the sky, dark and sinister, surrounded by panels of stone. Karna then said, "Rider…time to show them your mettle."

Altera gave a sardonic smile, before she reversed her grip on Photon Ray, pointing the hilt towards the sky. "Connection with Mars established," she murmured, before a jet of ruby light smacked into the skies above the army. Elaborate geometric sigils appeared in those skies, vaguely tribal in appearance. "Let the God of War's wrath fall on my enemies. **_TEARDROP PHOTON RAY!_**"

A column of actinic light lanced down from the heavens, hitting the sigils, and blasting into the army, unleashing a massive explosion that sent Homunculi flying, and shattered Golems. The humans present gaped in sheer shock at the power displayed. Most of the Servants present showed various degrees of being quietly impressed. Of course, one such Servant couldn't be quiet about that.

"Holy shit, Rider!" Mordred yelped. "That was fucking _awesome!_ I haven't seen anything that awesome since I saw Father using…his sword," she finished lamely, remembering at the last second to avoid naming Excalibur, and thus potentially allowing Shirou to identify him, and thus her. Well, Harry knew King Arthur was a woman, but Mordred seemed to stubbornly believe otherwise.

"True, but that was merely a shot across the bows," Altera said. "Lancer, are you fine with my fighting Siegfried?"

"I would be lying if I did not say I wish to fight him once more, but the priest said I am to deal with Lancer of Black, as my endurance and agility is a good counter to his Noble Phantasm."

"…Karna," Harry said. "Why did you attack Ruler?"

"I was ordered to by my Master. Do not misunderstand me, it was an order I found puzzling, disagreeable even, but I was to follow his orders. I have no orders to attack her on the battlefield should she arrive. We Servants are but the tools of our Masters."

The group fell into disquieted silence at that. They agreed not to reveal Shirou's true nature for now, as it might lead to him attacking them. They would wait until the Red Faction were weaker before doing so. However, Altera eventually spoke. "Tell me, Karna…does your Master truly deserve your loyalty? You are a good man, but you seem to have a habit of choosing the wrong people to follow who do not deserve your loyalty. First, Duryodhana, and now your Master. Servants are not mere tools. We were once amongst the living." She summoned her horse, Etzel, and mounted the magnificent steed. "I am not without my flaws. If anything, being what I am means that I have to work hard to overcome my destructive nature. And that is the point. I will fight and struggle every step of the way to become better than I was!"

Karna raised a snow white eyebrow. "Interesting words. I look forward to seeing you put them into practise."

"Indeed, I shall." Then, she yelled, "From the steppes, ride forth! From the plains, ride forth! From beyond the veil of death, ride forth! The hordes of destruction that heralded Rome's fall, come to me now…**_FLAGELLUM DEI!_**"

As she jabbed Photon Ray into the sky, Harry watched as, all around them, a ghostly horseback army appeared in a flare of light, all dressed in tribal clothing. Altera then looked at Mordred. "Saber, take one of these horses as your steed. Don't worry, it will support you for as long as I sustain this Noble Phantasm, comprised of my army from life. Or if it gets damaged."

"IT'S A HUNGRY AND HORRIFIC HORSEBACK HORDE OF HAIRY HUNS, HARRY!" Astolfo yelped.

"How real are they?" Hermione asked.

"They're solid enough, but they cannot sustain much damage before they vanish," Altera said, before a smile touched her features. "Then again, they don't need to. The Huns, my people, were feared across Europe for a reason. Indeed, once this land was but part of the Hun Empire." She pointed Photon Ray at the Yggdmillennia forces. "My warriors! Let us ensure this land remembers who we are! Let Vlad the Impaler learn that the Ottomans were child's play compared to us!"

A great throaty cry went up from the ghostly army, and they charged off, Altera at its head, and Mordred riding along with them, whooping and hollering with joy. Karna shook his head, a faint smile touching his lips. "You have interesting Servants, more than I realised. Forgive me for not lingering, but I must hasten to join the fray." With that, he dashed between them at a speed sound would envy.

"Jeez, he's fast," Astolfo muttered. "Damned show-off Lancer. And your Rider, she's so damned OP!"

"…How does a Servant from the Dark Ages know what OP means?" Harry asked.

"The Grail gives us knowledge of modern slang to a degree. Depends on how open one's mind is, and mine is wide open!" Astolfo declared.

"So open, stuff just falls out of it," Hermione snarked.

"Hermione, play nice," Luna chided. "Hey, Tonks, when are you going to send our adorable Assassin to attack the other Masters?"

"Once I see them," Tonks said, taking out some Omnioculars and scanning the battlefield. "I still feel uneasy about only having one Servant guarding us anyway, even if we can use Command Seals if need be. So I'd rather not send her out yet until I'm sure. The Yggdmillennia Masters must be staying inside the castle for now. Hmm…that red haired girl in the wedding dress…that must be Berserker of Black. Karna said she was Frankenstein's Monster, right? She's pretty cute."

"What's with all the genderflipped Servants?" Remus remarked. "Jack the Ripper, Attila the Hun, Mordred, Frankenstein's Monster…"

"We'll worry about that later, when we're not in a fight for our lives, Moony," Sirius said. He looked back over at Harry. "Even if it's our Servants doing the fighting, the dangers are still very real, right?"

Harry nodded. Even now, he couldn't shake Jeanne's warning, about an Avenger Servant being summoned. He had a bad feeling about this, and he knew everyone shared that uncertainty…

**CHAPTER 18 ANNOTATIONS:**

**So…it's been a little while. Oh well. Can't say when the next chapter is out, but hopefully, this one has been worth the wait, if only because it shows Altera finally using a couple of her Noble Phantasms in earnest. Seriously, Teardrop Photon Ray is brilliant, and I wish they used that for ****_Fate/Grand Order_****, not the drill-sword attack, and ****_Flagellum Dei_**** is a brilliant NP for her. I mean, seriously, what's Altera best known for in life as Attila the Hun? Leading a bunch of homicidal horseback hordes against what was left of the Roman Empire. It's sort of apt, too, as the heartland of the Hun Empire was more or less in Romania, or at least in the rough vicinity.**

**No numbered annotations this time.**


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